Moonspear steal my sunshine

Have a soundtrack! :D

The sun was shining. Meerkat stood on a ledge and tipped her face upward, eyes closed as she enjoyed the warmth on her face. It made her eyelids glow. She smiled, lips parting on a light laugh. For a while, she simply stood there and basked, soaking up all the sunshine she could get after missing it for so long.

She hadn't forgotten what this meant. At long last, she dropped her head and opened her eyes. Still beaming, she loped down the mountainside toward The Pale. When she arrived there, it was still misty, the fog shot through with visible beams of sunlight. Meerkat stared, mesmerized, before finally remembering to howl for @Bronco and @Toad Amelia.

Rather than sit and wait, Meerkat abruptly burst into a gallop. Whenever they got here, they would find her rocketing around the vast clearing, happily giving into a bad case of the zoomies.

Bronco hadn't been too far off when his sister called out for him. His first instinct was to get to his feet and start making his way in her direction, though he relaxed when he realized that there was no urgency or desperation in her call. He'd been nearly dead to the world, asleep, when she'd called out- so he'd recognized little other than the tone of her voice, and failed to notice that he wasn't the only one being summoned. 

When he reached the clearing, he didn't see her at first- until he heard the rhythmic pattern of footsteps rapidly approaching him. He had to jump back to avoid his little sister, who careened around the edge of the clearing, speeding through the mist that rose in veils, disappearing into the blue sky as it gradually revealed itself. He stepped out to feel the sunshine for what felt like the first time in ages, letting it warm his coat as he shook it out, sending little droplets of water flying in every direction and causing his fur to stand on end. The sun felt abolutely wonderful. But he couldn't enjoy it for long, because sure enough, his sister finished her lap and whipped past him again. 

He gave a twitching movement with his head, which caused his lips to quiver, as though he'd been possessed by some internal neurological demon. He rolled his shoulders, lowering his head so that he hunched his shoulderblads together, and took off after his sister, cutting across the opening so that he could at least gain some ground on her. After all, Broncosaurus was a fearsome beast, but he could only run so fast...So he needed to take a shortcut. "BRON-CO-SAUUUUUU-RUSSSSSS!" He bugled as he cut across the field, hoping to catch her on the fly. He worked up a bit of spit in his mouth so that it might froth at the corners of his lips, and gnashed his teeth, just to add to the frenzied appearance of whatever Jurassic creature he was imitating.

Sunshine!

The power of its warmth blessed her cheekbones with flushed delight. She beamed as its rays rested on her fur. Toad was so used to waking up to a damp and dismal world that it felt almost strange to step into the light and not feel water falling on her. Her fluffy coat was no longer soaking wet, and her spirits were lifted as the welcome sun rose higher in the sky.

It had been long enough that she had nearly forgotten about her meetup with Bronco and Meerkat, but the quick howl from the girl was an exciting invitation. Toad threw down the mountain toward the Pale, knowing the path well at that point. Her thick coat ruffled beneath her as she stepped with purpose, moving swiftly through the familiar trees until she reached the summoning spot.

The Pale itself that day was gorgeous, prettier than she had ever seen it before. She could hear her younger friends frolicking — or rather speeding — across it. The sun created sparkling curtains of light through the mists. Their coolness was pleasant as Toad trotted toward the glimmer of shapes she took with Meerkat and her brother. The coffee-coloured wolf was quick to join them, launching herself in a chase after Meerkat as she whipped past, shouting a much less melodic, RAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRR!

If she'd been smarter, she might have saved her energy for the hunt that would follow, but she didn't have this wisdom.

Her brother's arrival did nothing to slow her frenzied paws, though Meerkat did let loose a wild bark of laughter to acknowledge him as she zoomed past. It felt so damn good to run around the misty field, the grass still wet and a little slippery underfoot. She kept expecting to lose her footing but it never happened. Fleet of foot, she kept running laps around The Pale, buzzing with endless energy, going faster and faster...

Another whoop of laughter escaped her when Bronco lunged at her, causing Meerkat to veer to avoid him. She let out a little scream and picked up speed again, her tail tucking beneath her rump as she enticed him to give chase. But the young she-wolf was finally losing some steam, so she began to slow again, peering over one shoulder even as her tongue lolled from her mouth in a rapid pant.

She jumped a little at the resounding, "RRRAAAWWWRRR!" that announced Toad's arrival. Meerkat's head whipped in her direction and she grinned breathlessly. Her eyes bounced over to Bronco, then back to Toad, wondering if they'd spotted one another.

Just in case they hadn't—and because introductions seemed prudent in this situation—Meerkat suddenly yelled, "BRONCO-SAURUS VS TOAD-DACTYL: THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN OF ULTIMATE DESTINY!!!" This was punctuated with some form of girlish battle cry, meant to signal to the twosome that the fight to the death had begun.

Even with the ground still being a bit slippery underfoot from a month of rain, Meerkat was still pretty quick, and a challenge for Bronco to catch up with. She managed to skitter further ahead of him, now that he'd closed the gap between the two of them, challenging him to match pace with her, which might not have been a challenge had he not also been doing his best to keep his shoulders hunched, and lash his tail behind him the way a stegosaurus might, to ward off a predator. He gnashed his teeth together, feeling a trail of spittle trickle down his chin in a fairly gooey gob. He was actually kind of proud of the fact that he could more or less drool on command. 

But another voice called out, causing him to freeze slightly, and stumble when he looked up to see a female swathed in simple but soft brown and beige come charging toward them- answering the series of guttural yowls he'd been uttering. He was silenced when Meerkat shouted out an introduction and realization hit him like a bag of bricks. This was Toad- this was his date.

He slammed on the brakes with such force that he skidded several feet, and ended up splattering mud all up the front of his legs and all over his underside. He arched his neck, ears flying back in shock as he realized what his sister was doing. This was a set-up. Suddenly put on the spot, he forgot all about the guise of Broncosaurus, and suddenly just became young, dumbstruck Bronco. "Uh," He sputtered, and cast his gaze to the ground, and in a very, teensy-tiny voice- "Hi."

This is why she single, rofl

TOAD-DACTYL! The new role enveloped Toad and as the girl let loose a great battle cry of death and destruction, Toad swooped past them and circled back around. The weight on her paws made running a touch more of a chore than the much better built and younger two, but she refused to let it stop her. She went around in a circle, targeting her sights on Bronco's thick frame. The huntress readied herself to tackle him, tongue lolling as she ran. Through the mist, she couldn't see that he had halted to meet her until she was mere few feet in front of him.

Hi, was all she heard.
Her brakes were a lot less solid than his; when she tried to stop, her claws dug into the muddied grass and she ended up sliding like an otter right into him. She was covered in mud and felt her nose touch his fur as she swung herself in a terrible attempt to avoid crashing. The result was two muddy wolves — Toad somehow ended up on her back looking at him upside down.

Hello, she said, panting from the running. She rolled to her side and lifted her head to shout at Meerkat. I'd say it's a draw!

She stood there, watching as the two came closer together and, eventually, collided. Meerkat's eyes flew wide at this development, unexpected despite her hollering. With a snort, she dashed toward them, picking up on Toad's playful, "I'd say it's a draw!" A great whoosh of air escaped her as she slowed again, nearly falling prey to the mudslide herself. But she managed to stop a few feet from the two, tongue emerging from her mouth in a grinning pant.

-"Now kiss!"- she said with a giggle. Whether or not she meant that, she flicked a forepaw and slung some mud at Toad before abruptly darting forward to nip at her brother. Meerkat then spun on a heel, taking advantage of a second wind as she burst into a run again.

They were meant to hunt, then picnic together while Toad told stories. And maybe they'd get around to that. But Meerkat didn't mind going off plan and hoped the two of them didn't either. Playing some slip-'n'-slide tag sounded a lot more fun right at the moment. She just hoped they both took the bait and—hopefully, maybe—even came after her together.

Woah woah WOAH- all of a sudden, Toad was close, closer- and then a bit too close. Bronco braced for the impact, holding his ground, but it was too hard to keep his footing when the ground was so sloppy and slick. She'd tried to avoid him, and Bronco'd attempted to step back to avoid her, but ended up more or less cradling Toad against his underside as she looked up at him from where she'd slid to a stop on her back. He froze, holding his breath so that he might not soften against her and get too close- though she seemed perfectly comfortable with where she'd ended up. 

Bronco remained stiff as Meerkat nipped at him, squinting slightly to avoid getting any more mud splattered across his face as he sheepishly tried to step his forelegs around Toad only to find the loose footing betrayed him- and with a small squeak, he planted his face into the soft fur of her chest as though on cue when his sister demanded that they kiss. Awkwardly he scrambled back as soon as he could get his feet beneath him again, apologizing profusely as he did so. 

"Jeez, uh, damnit I'm so sorry, I uh, I slipped, sorry!" He said, piling the excuses together in an awkward stammer.

Mud flew onto her nose and neck as Meerkat demanded a kiss from the pair. Toad felt a sneeze coming, and she inhaled, holding her mouth open stupidly. She was practically smashed against Bronco; normally the warmth from him would be pleasant, but it felt odd due to his underbelly being slightly damp from running about in the dewey grass. She could feel his stiffness while Meerkat teased him, and once she did couldn't help but feel rather peculiar herself.

Toad had pretty much never been this close to a male who wasn't related to her. He moved about and tried to step over and around her, but instead she felt his warm, plush face against her chest. Warmth flushed through her face despite herself.

As he was apologizing and standing, she — ACHGHHHOO! Sneezed.
Excuse me, sorry, wow, haaaa.. her faux laugh trailed off and she wiggled away from him, flopping over to also find her footing and stand. She shook herself reflexively, flinging bits of mud very unfeminine-like. Finally, Toad had the opportunity to look over her mess of a "date". Though covered in mud, she could see he had a strong structure to him and was already coffee-coloured by nature, lovely chestnuts and chocolates running through his fur. His eyes were pleasant. Kind. Scars wrapped his snout, and she wondered about their source. Meerkat was right! You are handsome, she declared, having no qualms complimenting things how she saw them.

He was also, as she had suspected, probably too young for her. Not that she took issue with age. He was a cute enough boy that he should have no trouble snatching up a young filly of his choice.

She didn't hear footfalls coming after her, so Meerkat looked over her shoulder to see that neither one of them had given chase. She slowed and rolled to a stop with a breathless huff, then turned and peeped at them from a distance. Her tongue lolled from her mouth in a wolfish grin as she watched them. She couldn't hear them from all the way over here, especially with only one good ear, but she could read their body language pretty well. They were being awkwardly adorable.

Although still tempted to rouse the pair of them into a game of chase, Meerkat suddenly had a bright idea. Still grinning to herself, she slipped to the edge of The Pale and, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. She crouched just out of sight to see how Bronco and Toad would react. Would they even realize she'd gone? Or were they now so twitterpated they might not even notice?

600! :D

Bronco flinched and grimaced when the tawny female suddenly inhaled, and then sneezed- blowing a puff of air into his face, and sending a few specks of mud splattering into the fur of his ruff from the sheer force of her sneeze. He tried not to look too grossed out- after all, he'd taken care of puppies, and had had to deal with pretty much everything gross that puppies had to offer- so that he didn't make a bad impression and make her think that he was disgusted by her.

He might not have been as convincingly unphased as he wanted to appear, smiling awkwardly as she slipped to her feet, and he barely managed to voice "Uh, bless yuh-" before he was hit by a spray of mud. Yet again, he had to try and not seem too grossed out as he clamped his mouth shut a bit too late, swishing his tongue around his mouth only to find he had indeed caught some of the gritty mud. Again, he reminded himself- he'd been through worse. 

The most startling thing, though, was when she complimented him, echoing what were apparently Meerkat's words by calling him handsome. For someone who regularly complimented women, he was at a loss for how to respond when someone turned the spotlight on him. "Oh, I, uh....Thaaaanks," He said, casting a glance around to see if he could spot his sister, to give her a look. What else had she said about him? And while he hated to admit it- he found it a bit awkward, being paired up for a date with someone who was the same age as his mother. And he had no problem play-flirting with older women normally, but not with any great deal of sincerity. "You're, uhm. Toad, then, yeah? Meerkat, uhm," Wait, what had Meerkat told him? He grinned sheepishly. "Well she told me you were hideous an' warty an' that you liked to eat flies so...Kind of a relief, seein' how wrong she was, ahuhuh."

eee

Oh God, she was blowing it wasn't she? Oh man. A flash of her conversation with Hydra passed through Toad and she remembered how nonchalant she had acted about the idea of going on a blind date. Now Toad was beginning to feel more unlovable and, well, ugly, than ever. She had heard other women say that dates were always awkward, but surely she was just the worst.

Bronco politely responded to her sneeze and she offered a small and bashful smile, but she felt deflated. Her compliment fell weirdly on him. Toad felt heat rush through her cheeks with embarrassment. She rarely thought about things before she said them, but she was starting to realize that she should probably start doing that. Hearing someone tell you you're "as handsome as your sister said" was clearly not a comfortable thing to receive.

Toad reminded herself that this was never something she had taken seriously, and so she shouldn't now, either. They were here to have a fun little time and that was the core of it.

A tiny voice inside her told Toad she was disappointed. What if it had actually worked out?
I am yeah. Toad Amelia! Bronco expressed something like solace that she was in fact not an actual toad. She couldn't help but grin, cheeks full of mirth. She glanced toward where she expected Meerkat to be, but the girl had vanished. Toad wondered if this was an intentional act. She'd left Toad with her brother to see if "sparks flew" or whatever the hell was supposed to happen. Where'd your sister run off to?

She suddenly felt all the mud on herself. She imagined what she looked like in a mirror, and her heart sunk to her stomach; she must have looked terrible. Where was this coming from? Toad hadn't felt this out of place since she was a teenager.

For a moment, it really seemed like they were so caught up talking to one another that she had slipped from their minds. Meerkat snickered under her breath and began creeping back in their direction, making sure to remain behind the screen of underbrush growing alongside The Pale. Here was a good opportunity to work on her stealth. She didn't fancy herself a hunter, at least by trade, but every wolf should be able to pass muster in that particular arena.

She caught the word "sister" in Toad's voice, though she couldn't see either one of them now as she was forced deeper into the brush to avoid some thorny brambles. When she came 'round them, Meerkat moved nearer to the fringe to get a bead on them again. She still did not reveal herself, instead crouching just out of sight, noting just how bashful the both of them looked.

A grin curved her pale mouth right before she sprang out at them with a loud, "Hello! I'm hungry!"

He felt bad that he felt so awkward, and that this had all become a bit uncomfortable. Toad Amelia seemed nice- she had a sense of humour and he'd almost forgotten just how absolutely game-on she'd been about taking on the role of Toadceratpos, or whatever it was that Meerkat had called her earlier. He couldn't quite remember- but it did strike him as gleefully unusual that someone else was as comfortable as he was, imitating the fantastic, fanciful creatures he'd heard about in bedtime stories. Clearly, though, Toad wanted to have some sort of buffer, as she sought out Meerkat who was nowhere to be found- until she came bounding back, expressing her hunger. 

He smiled, tail beginning to wave in a slow circle behind him. Meerkat had said that Toad Amelia liked hunting, so perhaps that was something they could do that might kill the awkward moment between them. "You're always hungry," He laughed, but shrugged humbly. "Actually, no, that's me. You guys wanna go try an' see if we can track something down? Sure with the sun out now, I bet we're not the only ones out and about," He volunteered as an idea.

Bronco was pleasant to be around, at least. Toad tried to distract herself with that to shrug off her discomfort. Though she searched for Meerkat, the girl seemed to have abandoned the pair to their awkward doom. Toad wiggled in place a bit as if fighting off a shiver. She stepped back from Bronco and shook herself once more to free a bit more mud from her fur. She was definitely a mess, but resolved to accept that. There was little she could do about it now.

Meerkat popped out of the brush, interrupting Toad's search for words. She grinned, watching the siblings interact. She struggled to recall such moments of humour with her own siblings when they were young. The muddy woman nodded briskly, keen to hunt with her packmates. Hunting was one of her favourite things to do. Unlike trying to make "date" conversation, she was pretty good at it.

There's definitely bound to be something tasty out, she agreed, looking out at the misty meadow. Though disturbed by the games of the wolves, the sun still lit dew drops on the grass beautifully. Surely other animals were out to sample this moisture and enjoy the light that the mountain had waited so long for.

She started moving past Bronco, mostly to get her blood moving again. Still mildly agitated with anxiety, she sniffed at the air. We got this, she declared.

-"You're supposed to say,"- Meerkat cheerily chided both of them, -"'Hi, Hungry, I'm dad.' D'oy!"- She laughed, tail whipping hither and thither. -"You guys aren't ready to be dads, I don't think,"- she surmised with another chuckle.

Both Bronco and Toad seemed more than happy to pursue something to eat. He pointed out that the sun might have brought out the wildlife and she agreed. When Toad began to move, Meerkat bounded after her, bumping Bronco on the way. She wondered if he considered Toad girlfriend material or if he still needed some more time to decide. And what did Toad think of him in turn?

There was still plenty of time for them to get to know one another. -"What are we hunting?"- she queried, sidling alongside the more experienced hunters. -"Could we go after something bigger, since there's three of us?"- Meerkat wondered, an excited note in her voice.

Bronco rolled his eyes at Meerkat's correction, and stepped toward her to lean his weight against her as though trying to squish her groaner of a Dad joke, before he nipped at her ear and released the pressure. Secretly, of course, he was the sort of wolf who loved Dad jokes, but he wasn't about to reveal that in front of Toad, as it was the sort of thing that might make him look a bit less refined and mature. 

They had the distraction of a hunt to focus on now, though, so he could potentially use that as a means to improve his reputation a bit, though that wasn't his primary motivation. Bronco was the sort of wolf who would seldom turn down the opportunity to catch something to eat- and with a couple others by his side, they stood a better chance of catching something that could feed all three of them. -"We're hunting food"- He replied with a lame grin. -"But yeah, I think, if we find something that'll feed all three of us, we could give that a try,"- He said. He realized that Meerkat was still learning the ropes of how to hunt larger prey in a group setting, but he was comfortable having her join in now that he knew she was big enough not only to keep up the pace, but possibly withstand the physical strain and injuries that could happen. He had no idea how capable Toad was- but Meerkat had mentioned once before that she was a capable hunter, so he'd simply have to rely on blind faith that they'd be able to manage tracking down something big enough to make a meal for three.

Meerkat's terrible, wonderful joke resulted in an unattractive snort from Toad, who didn't want to laugh but couldn't help but be entertained. Damn, I want to be a dad, she moaned, feigning disappointment while Bronco nipped at his sister as though to correct her for being a goof. Toad doubted this would ever stop her from doing... well anything.

The conversation quickly shifted to exactly what they were going to eat, and at this, Toad stopped actively listening. Instead, she lifted her head and continued moving forward, sampling the air with her nose, trying to pinpoint what smells were coming from what direction. Though she was not sure of Meerkat's skill level, being so young, she was relatively confident that all three of them working together would be fruitful if they played their cards right. Persistence, for her, was key to any successful hunt. We'll find something, she pseudo-repeated, eyes forward and ears forward and alert.

Actually, she slowed, then stopped, inhaling deeply. Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. There are deer nearby, but I can't tell where the smell is coming from, she explained, testing each direction of the air but still unable to fetch the location from the humid air. She looked to the other two, hoping their tracking skills would help the party.

The answers they provided were vague, at best: "food" and "something." Meerkat laughed, wrinkling her nose even as she fell into step with them. Her eyes shone with excitement, wondering about the potential prey they could go after what with two-and-a-half hunters. Toad didn't leave her hanging for long, soon bringing up the possibility of deer.

-"Really?"- she signed so emphatically that she threw herself off balance, stumbling and bopping into Bronco mindlessly. -"I'm here for it!"- Meerkat enthused before mimicking Toad's behavior and tilting her muzzle upward to sniff at the air.

There were a lot of scents to sift through on the breeze and she was no expert at sussing out the important threads just yet. But Meerkat kept trying nonetheless, determined to get to those deer and level up her hunting experience today, along with helping these two find true love.

Bronco's attention shifted to Toad, who had the sort of look of concentration on her face that meant she was sniffing and thinking. He wasn't long to tilt his head back and start sniffing the air, to see what he picked up. Of course, the scent of wet earth and saturated green grass were potent- but once Toad Amelia mentioned it, he could smell the woodsy scent of deer, and found himself straying from the spot, dithering this way and that as he tried to gauge the wind and find where the scent was coming from. 

"I'd think," He said, though he didn't want to sound too sure. He didn't want to lead them in the wrong direction, just so that it looked like he knew what he was doing in front of Toad Amelia. But he had a good feeling. "Down the slope, the wind's-" He said, and meandered a few steps in one direction, and then another. "Yeah, I think from thataway, what d'you think?" He asked, calling for a second- and third- opinion.

Toad nodded in reaction to Meerkat, quite sure that the musky scent she had sensed was mule deer. They were common on the mountains — the huntress guessed that they had come closer to the Pale to browse, unable to resist the dew that drifted in with the mists.

Though the girl remained as excitable as ever, Toad had mellowed considerably. Her movements each had purpose and focus. The other two seemed to follow this direction, for Bronco suggested where the smell was coming from. He did it in a way that was logical and sensible, something that he might have been taught from an adult. A small smile crossed her face as Toad followed, moving in Bronco's direction and lifting her snout.

The oily aroma of conifer trees made it hard to disconnect things, but he seemed right. The musk of deer urine was faint but more true where he pointed. She looked at him, eyes softly glazing over the scars on his muzzle before she nodded. Let's chance it! She moved forward, then looked toward Meerkat, wondering how they might act better as a group given their very different set of skills.

Meerkat, I think you'll make an excellent herder; you're super fast, she grinned, following the natural bounce in her smile with her feet. Agile creatures like young Meerkat were perfect to drive the herd toward others, since they could follow the quick changes in direction and had the energy to keep up.

*selfishly and unilaterally ruins hunt for continuity... and fun?* LOL.

Long before the youngster managed to pinpoint any information via the various scents in the air, Bronco and Toad deduced a direction and began discussing a game plan. The latter even indicated that Meerkat could participate via herding, saying she was fleet of foot. She flashed her a smile, cheered by Toad's confidence in her and eager to pitch in so the three of them could enjoy a good meal together.

Soon, the mule deer's odor was unmistakable, even to the novice hunter. And when they crested a small hillock and spotted the animals themselves on a ridge line across a small, rocky valley, Meerkat's heart began to pound. Even from a distance, she could tell they were big. Their size excited and intimidated her in equal measure. Despite Toad's faith and her own gung ho attitude, she felt a beat of trepidation.

Sucking in a breath, she looked to her more experienced elders. If they thought she could do it, then surely she would be fine. But before any of them could decide on a next step, the herd abruptly began moving. Meerkat looked around sharply, wondering if they'd sensed the three of them all the way back here. But the disturbance must've come from their far side, as the deer plunged into the gap and began stampeding directly toward the trio.

I rolled to see if he could maybe stop the herd but NOPE, dice h'ain't in his favour today! I'll do a roll before my next post to see what happens to him in the midst of the herd.

Bronco hadn't expected anything other than a typical white-tailed deer, so when they got closer and came within sight of the creatures, he was surprised to see the difference. With their heavier shoulders and deeper ribcage, they almost resembled a cross between a deer and an elk, and took on a larger size as well. Both taller and heavier in frame, with larger, more wide-set ears and a bulkier head. He was impressed- these would make a fine meal, even one of the younger ones, which should be their target-

But the thing about targets was that they weren't really supposed to move. No, targets were meant to be hit- so when the herd of deer shifted, and began to move, he was surprised to see them coming in the wolves' direction. He might not have been terrbly concerned, and might have welcomed the chance to have the prey come to him had they not been wedged in on both sides by steep hills, which corralled the stampeding herd directly toward them. He couldn't tell what had startled them into motion, but one thing was for sure- if they didn't move too, they'd be underfoot in seconds. 

"RUN!" He shouted, a growl piercing his voice which was suddenly filled with urgency. The stags had antlers sharpened for the rut- and a herd of spear-headed herbivores on the run could easily wound or kill a wolf. He snapped at Meerkat first, and then at Toad to spur them in the opposite direction, to get ahead of the herd hoping that at the first chance the slop evened out, they would be able to get out of the herd's path. Hoping he might have a chance at making the herd balk and turn in the opposite direction, or at least split into smaller groups, Bronco leapt forward with a snarl and zig-zagged toward them. 

But he had little to no effect on them. If he slowed them down at all, he wouldn't know. But within moments the herd was upon him so he was forced to dodge this way and that, sometimes crouching when there was nothing he could do, as the deer leapt over him. He snarled and snapped, yipped and yelped- but would have otherwise been lost from view beyond the stampede of thundering hooves.

Rolled a 6 on a d20 :/

Well, they'd been correct on both the animal and the location of said animals. Toad didn't know how it happened or why. The stampede seemed almost immediate. Cloven hoofbeats and panicked snorts came toward them. Either they had done something to incite violence or, more likely, something had spooked the herd from the other side. Her eyes widened and she froze.

Bronco was quick to break through her fear, his voice striking through broken focus and pushing her to move, to run.
There was always danger associated with hunting — it was part of the thrill. A panicked herd with multiple mature males was not ideal. The prey had instantly turned the tables as the wolves tried to found a way out of the destructive path. Toad ran at an angle to the herd, charged by Bronco's snap. She tried as she ran to see the path of the herd, but it was fast and wild. She saw Bronco's muddied form disappear in the insanity, so the huntress made a split second decision to rubber band back toward the herd to see if her presence on the side lines would break them apart.

She summoned something that looked like fierceness within her, though it came out of fear for Bronco's safety. Her jaws snapped at the air menacingly as a triplet of does bounded fast at her. While they noticed the wolf, the deer hardly hesitated, lashing out at the brown wolf with sharp hooves.

Toad kept running, trying to find a way out of the herd or confuse them so they might split apart. It wasn't working. They were all in real trouble.

The next few moments were utter chaos, barely giving Meerkat time to process. Before she knew it, she found herself crouched in a cloud of dust as the thunder of dozens of hooves receded into a strangely deafening silence. Her paws were thrown over her eyes but she slowly removed one and peeked, then began to sit up slowly. She had taken a couple blows, yet nothing hurt too badly.

But what about Bronco? And Toad? "BRONCO! TOAD!" she shouted, rising onto all fours and squinting through the hazy air. "WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU OKAY?" Between the screaming and the cloud of dirt, she began to cough, soon falling prey to a hacking fit.