Sunbeam Lair as history goes on, i grow numb to its repetitions

diaspora tm thread! finch is leading a pack hunt, but anyone is more than welcome to join us! @Stigmata @Mahler @Takiyok @Thorn @Redshank @Ketzia @Piper @Damien @Nocturnal @Aries @Sterling @Vonn @Winterbourne

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diaspora was thriving under stigmata's word, and while finch adored their home at the lake she had been tasked to lead a hunt; she could have stayed home, but... it felt right to travel, as her other two companions were made to do so. she leaves their territory and sets out into the sunspires, a flash of gold boldy striking against the various greys and blacks of the mountainsides. she hadn't gone hunting in a long while, the last notable hunt she could recall was the one with that stranger, who's head was shattered like glass.
not like he didn't deserve it.

her pace quickens, adrenaline coarsing through every inch of her body as the anticipation of something great burns in her chest. pinning her ears back, the avian takes off in a full-fledged sprint towards... where ever catches her attention first. her form against the shadows casted upon the territory as the sun pours its blood on the earth below it is stark. snow slushes beneath featherlight paws and her panting quickens, tail swaying in the wind as she comes across what she believes to be her destination. finch slows herself before coming to a stop, she looks upon her as she is faced with the mouth of a cave.

unsure of whether her general wanted large or small prey, finch makes her way inside, letting the cave swallow her whole. inside, pawsteps grow louder as she traverses this echo chamber-- a crack of light catches her vision. she follows it, naturally, and what she it met with is a sight meant to be cherished. this cave houses its own ecosystem, sustaining itself despite being isolated. flora grows out of the earth against all odds, and she can see holes in the ground, as if something were digging. were they... burrows? the golden idol moves more inside, darting her gaze around. she's unsure of plants though some of them look quite rare, she can't help but wonder if many healers know this place exists.

after she is finished admiring the colorful plants, finch moves on to investigate the holes in the ground. something had to dig them, right? her curiousity takes over as she begins to dig the hole larger so she can stick her muzzle in-- but in the middle of her digging, it happens. the animals that call this place their home leap out of the warren in a panic: she had come across a colony of rabbits, who she likely interrupted their winter sleep, but who knows how many of them there were? rabbits were flighty animals, she would need as many wolves as she can to kill as many as possible. turning sharply to chase after what she had frightened, finch attacks the rabbit from its side before grasping her jaws around it. the feeling of blood & bones crush betwixt her fangs was something she longed for. placing the dead rabbit to the side, she continues digging the burrow out: hoping for many more.

Taki tracked her packmate north from the lake, curious about what drew her to that part of the mountains. Nose to the ground, she padded quietly along the same path taken by Finch. As she neared the same cave opening, a flurry of movement made her pause, and it was a few second before she registered the scurrying creatures as rabbits. She sprang into action, launching herself towards the animal running straight for her. Realizing it's predicament, the rabbit turned in a flash and began sprinting back towards the cave once more. 

Taki followed her prey into the cavern, surprised that as they moved farther inside the mountain, a few more terrified rabbits passed by only sparing her a fleeting, panicked look. She paid them little attention, her gaze focusing in on her intended target as she continued to chase it through the cave. She saw the other woman digging into what she soon realized was the burrow and all at once, everything made more sense. For whatever reason, the scared creature was aiming to go back into the warren, but Taki's jaws clamped around it before it made its pointless retreat and with one efficient shake, its fight was over. She set the rabbit down next to the one Finch had already caught and jumped in to help dig, hoping to draw more rabbits from their cover.

snaps & screams could be heard from behind her. intensly focused on her task at hand, the movement of her packmate slipped her notice at the time: she was really, really into digging this burrow out as fast as she could. panicked rodents desperately dashed around the cavern, probably hoping to escape the scent of the beasts whom had woken them up from their winter slumber, though little did they know their persistence was futile. before long, another wolf hops sharply in to join her in digging; it was taki, the spirit had followed her and for this she could not be more grateful.

there were a shit ton of rabbits, they were going to need as many sets of teeth as they could manage to round up to gather as many bodies as possible. although not a massive animal such as an elk, rabbits were much smaller and could be killed rather quicker: so long as more join them, stockpiling carcasses shouldn't be very difficult. finch's claws latch into the soil underneath them as her packmate by her side joins her. running her tongue along her slightly bloodied muzzle as the hole widens, more and more rabbits come exploding out.

there were many, and having this many rabbits gave her an idea. she sharply turns away from the spirit at her side and sprints around the cavern walls, attempting to herd as many rabbits as she could into a corner. she would hold them there, hackles bristled and boasting ivory fangs, letting growls escape the rumble of her throat whilst waiting for more muscle to arrive-- once they were able to have a third, she would launch herself at the terrified puffs of fur in front of her-- one by one.

thorn had always liked snow; it was pristine and cold, a white preservative that coated the world in bitter frost. it provided a barrier, it slaked thirst - and above all, it easily betrayed the passing of any soul that tread across it.

it was easy then to follow the two sets of prints; both made by wolves of the basilisk's pack. they led down into a darkened corridor where the halls were closed in by stone -- thorn ducked under the strange arch, his eyes adjusting slowly to the dusk.

then, a waft of air scampered by, carried by the swiftly parting feet of a hare that slid between his legs and was gone. thorn froze, still somewhat blind -- and then another dashed by.

he snapped at the passing form too late, but when he lifted his head some order had come to his eyesight; he could make out a broad beam of light, and the dappled form of a packmate cornering a herd of -- rabbits? and then he saw takiyok's form hunched, likely digging -- and it all came together.

they had discovered a warren; thorn's nose was overrun with the scent of rabbit, and with a growl to announce his presence, the bulky yearling set down at the entrance, looking the part of some wicked cerberus as he executed any rabbit unfortunate enough to fly his way.

finch had held mahler's silent interest for some time now, beginning with their hunt led by the ill-fated stranger. he was pleased to follow her trail northward, where it mingled with takiyok's scent and then that of the nightwell thorn. where finch led them was not a place recognized by the gargoyle, though he had roved over the mountains for many weeks preceding diaspora's formation.
he heard the sound of killing in the gloom, and hurried toward it — the scent of lapin blood surrounded his senses, and mahler's stomach gave an answering growl. quickly, he pieced together that the goldpiece woman had led her packmates to a warren, and the rabbit that sped wildly toward him, past the dark thorn, was seized in heavy charcoal jaws and neck-snapped before it drew another breath.

The hare followed its brother, both panicked and fearing for their life, narrowly missing the snap of a dark brute's jaws as they scampered beneath him and sprinted towards the freedom of the wide open world beyond the cave. The beasts that had descended upon their warren were frightening and bloodthirsty, slaughtering indiscriminately. The attack had come without warning, the family scattered to the wild winds of the mountains these terrifying predators now called home.

One such predator spotted the flash of mousy brown streaking through the snow, carrying with it the scent of freshly split blood. Redshank crouched, readying himself, only to be bested by the much faster animal. Even in the deep snow it managed to halt its escape the moment it spotted the hungry Diasporian, its long legs propelling itself in the opposite direction just as quickly.

Swiping his tongue against his lips in anticipation, Redshank suddenly gave chase, following the hare the way it had came.

The scent of others — wolves and hares alike — hung heavy at the mouth of a cavern the terrified creature had led him to. And, along with it, the thick, metallic stench of blood. The Cairn's stomach rumbled and he plunged into the darkness, following the trail hungrily. There, he discovered the source, along with several other members of the pack, all greedily tearing into the veritable trove of delicious critters ripe for harvesting. The golden-furred woman had cornered them while the others picked them off one by one, and Redshank retreated some ways back to the entrance, acting the goalkeeper for any stray hares that managed to slip past the combined, snapping teeth of Takiyok, Thorn, and Mahler.

Diaspora was a single unit—Stigmata and Mahler had brought them together, and as such, they had become one. When tracks of her comrades strayed from the lake they inhabited, the supple she-wolf tracked them, her bright gaze lingering only momentarily upon the broad form og Thor, who acted as guardian. The unfortunate mishap of fleeing rabbits rested at his side, and with an amused chuckle, the woman slipped past him, her own jaws seeking purchase to the chaos of antagonized rabbits who fled for their life.
 
One could argue quality over quantity, but Finch’s find was purely delightful—her own jaws stained red as she snapped up a heftier rabbit, she indulged in the fact that they would feast well with one another without the potential of gaining injury or expending too much energy.

He's been a bit more careful about his eating habits since Takiyok invited him here, determined to make a full recovery under the protection of this pack. It's quite a bit different from what he's used to — but he thinks that might be a good thing. The young Corten has come to enjoy his nomadic lifestyle, and finds himself more than content to continue such with the support of a pack. All things considered, it's a fairly good deal — assuming disaster doesn't strike again.
He's close behind his packmates as they disappear into the cavern, entering a few moments after an ivory-cloaked woman whose name he doesn't know. The scene is chaotic, confusing for a beat until his eyes adjust to the dimmer light, but the scent of rabbit is clear enough. He follows his nose, blinking rapidly as he lunges for one of the fleeing rabbits. He catches it by the leg, snapping the limb easily and tossing the squealing creature into the air to catch it again and deliver a killing blow. The rabbits are fast, but the chaos of their home being uprooted by wolves has sent them into a panic, and he can't help but feel a little smug at how easy the hunt has become.

one by one, they came.
one by one, they killed.
as a whole, they conquered.

in a flurry of fur, clashes of tooth & claw, snarls & growls pouring from the throats of her packmates whilst squeals echoed through the cavern: she would call this successful, personally.  the slaughtering of the rabbits left their blood painting the walls & floors, muzzles dyed a faint red tint as she lets out a light chuff. she prowls about the cave, panting, observing the phantoms as they continue their spree. takng a minute to catch her breath, finch noses a dead rabbit into the center of the room.
,,you guys did great,'' running her tongue across her teeth, she darts her gaze around the pack. ,,now.. part of it is getting all this back to the lake. there's plenty of us that some could hold a few draped over their backs if no one minds.'' with this, she shoves her muzzle underneath the pile she had made. carefully, she slid the corpses down onto her back whilst scruffing one in her jaws. she moves towards the mouth of the cavern, waiting for her packmates, giving slight motions with her head towards the territory.

More of their packmates joined in, and Taki was especially glad to see that Winterbourne joined them as well. She worried he wouldn't be able to pull his weight, or was maybe too sick, so seeing him there gave her hope. The all worked diligently, and soon they had quite the collection of dead rabbits. She lifted her head from the last creature she had just managed to kill, panting a little as Finch began to talk. She suggested that they drape the dead hares across their backs to be able to carry a large amount at once, and Taki thought that seemed like a good idea. She copied the golden woman's movement, gathering her own pile before lowering her head and nudging a handful onto her head and then down to her back. Once she was sure they were secure, she lowered her head once more to pick up a few more to carry between her teeth, She looked to the others then, waiting for them to gather their own piles so they could take their prizes back to the lake and store them.