Meadowlark Prairie XXXV

@Avicus @Prophet @New Snow @Ashlar @Masquerade @Lilia @Redd @Bobcat

augur had a direction.

but several of them were sick now. he called a halt to their march. they would wait until the business of talking was settled.

he led them into a prairie and tested the air with his nose. yellow eyes swept over them, and then he began to move off on a hunt, indicating that any might follow.

Past the fresh water, they travelled toward the Southern lands, the mountain range passing further and further from view until a new crest of mountains approached. What looked like a cropped volcano loomed across the plains. Consumed by the respiratory illness, Lilia woefully trudged with the rest of the band, a faint rattle to her breath and a vacant stare to her expression. 

She had no apatite but her body hungered, weakened by travel. Any fat stores she'd had were being used up, and her body remembered now what starvation had felt like. This time, however, she did not want for food. She wanted rest. 

Augur indicated that they should hunt. Short on breath, Lilia parked herself in the snow and stared out across the snow-covered plains. She needed a break before she could make herself hunt something that would inevitably flee.

Patient zero was on the mend, though their morale was beginning to flag. The rest of the war party had fallen ill and they had been far from home for such a long time. Masquerade ached for the rise, particularly their little nest beneath the pine at the edge of the rendezvous site.

They did not make any complaints, heeling obediently wherever Avicus and Augur led them. When the latter moved off to hunt, Masque looked around for Redd, then loped after the Ulfhedinn.

until hunters came with him, augur would set to hunting mice and voles.

as the time passed, so did a small pile.

this would be hardly mouthfuls and so he would feed the sick first.

he continued to hunt, pausing to glance warily over wolverine.

the child of red woman came now and the hunt-leader turned away. they needed a deer. and another body for that.

he started in the direction of where a herd must be all the same.

his thoughts are hers. they need food if they're to battle Nyra and her horde.

Avicus scents the air, finding the promise of larger game in her nares. sure enough, he moves off, and she does too, a rattling cough escaping her lungs and fogging upon the air, sickly droplets clinging to her muzzle.

she hears them grazing, shuffling slowly over the snow-draped prairie.

a tiny vole runs suddenly by, and skitters sideways as it's surprised by the presence of the wolves—but too late. the red woman lunges forward and seizes the creatures, jaws crushing its spine before it has a chance to even squeak.

she devours it whole, heedless of all other need save hunger.

rolled for successful catch

She was miserable. Their forward march was a trudge, and she heard the crackling of bones as Avicus snatched up a meagre meal for herself. Lilia did not register her own hunger, but her stomach did, and it gave a rippling growl that she could feel through her ribs. Grunting and hacking a gob of mucus from her throat, Lilia stood, shook out her pelt and staggered slightly, before she began to trudge after Augur. 

Her spirits flagged, but food was something she needed. She'd promised herself (in a very Scarlett O'Hara way) that she would never go hungry again.

With practiced ease, the small band of hunters coalesced: Augur in the lead, Lillia not far behind (despite a stagger in her step), Avicus sweeping in from the wings and Masquerade bringing up the rear.

Their goldenrod eyes fixed on their mother as she dispatched a vole, then swallowed it whole. Masque licked their chops and huffed a breath, then returned their attention to Augur. Hopefully he would lead them to larger prey. There were not enough voles in the world to oil this war machine.

he looked skyward. no ravens.

he ranged out, head low and yellow eyes searching the terrain. wolverine flagged in her steps but he did not look back.

the wind twisted. he examined a tuft of grass and then another. he tasted the ground.

a horse.

he did not know the name for these beasts. they had hard hooves but no antlers. 

there were two of them, grazing the little grass. gaunt from the same hunger which plagued the wolves. one's haunch was clustered with flies.

augur gulped snow into an aching belly then ran directly at the beasts to test their mettle

his ground-eating strides soon carried him to their attention. they turned to run, giving no fight. they were tall but ragged, ribs showing. still, there were more pounds of meat on a single horse than he could know. 

the wolves would cut them away from one another.

She couldn't smell well, so she relied on her sightline to direct her, and on Augur who led them forward. Still, she was weary, and overlooked the animals at first as they grazed, having set her mind on scoping out something that more closely resembled a deer. When she saw them, she was shocked. These weren't deer- their legs were stocky and their heads coarse. They showed bone through their shaggy winter fur. 

They were still identified as food.

She bolted, her weakened limbs lightening with the prospect of a full meal on the horizon. She lagged behind Augur quite a bit, and the small duo of horses spooked before they were reached- but the wolves closed in on them. Remembering what she had learned from New Snow, Lilia veered closer to Augur, so that they might split the beasts by aiming at the space between them.

she's never seen horses, either, and they startle her, somewhat. not in an intimidating way—just in the fashion that they're new, unknown, foreign.

she gives them a long stare before moving forward, watching Augur's cues.

without hesitation, she moves to cut the weakest from the others, herding the latter away. they snort and rear, and she finds herself ducking and diving—breathing thickly as her chest congests further—but holds fast, chasing them to a distance.

with luck, the others will have their kill.

Augur did not disappoint. Every time the powerful hunter paused to examine a patch of dirt or tuft of grass, Masque observed, then mimicked him. By doing this, they sharpened their own tracking skills.

He led them toward two great beasts that resembled caribou but weren’t. Masquerade would’ve enjoyed the opportunity to observe them a while, though Augur moved quickly and so did his small hunting party.

The four wolves thrust themselves into the space between the two horses in an effort to force them apart. It was Avicus, not Augur, who seemed to choose the weaker of the two and began pursuing it once it was parted from its companion. Masquerade did not even blink as they followed their Wealda’s lead.

Once, the sight of animal of this size and strength would’ve sent them cringing to the ground. Nowadays, Masquerade pounded alongside the rise’s greatest hunters, holding their own and finally ready to put their teeth to the quarry.

damn theyre all so GOOD <3

red woman forged her target.

augur was a fine machine which moved easily on her mark.

wolverine was close to him. he saw the bunching of the animal's haunch and snorted for those near to fall back to his other side. the creature shrieked and tossed a panicked kick, though the speed kept.

long breaths swept through him. the great hunter moved to its shoulder. the muscles here were powerful. but the weakness of the winter paid in thinning hair.

then the panting, steaming muzzle, too high yet for his leap.

augur slammed hard into its ribcage then, teeth reaching to unravel blood and hair and skin from the straining shoulder. the horse stumbled, instinctively slowing though its panicked gallop continued.

the moment of flying snow cleared to show warbler and for a moment the ulfhedinn met their eye.

These animals were wild. Their massive hooves- one-toed, of all things!- thundered and kicked up saucers of dirt and snow behind them, and they were able to let fly their hind hooves with remarkable speed and power for an animal of such heft. The one closest to Augur didn't even lose a stride as it struck out. Frozen snow fell from its tangled fetlocks as it lashed its feet out. She took Augur's cue and skipped to his opposite haunch, flashing her teeth for him in appreciation. 

He moved forward to slam into the horse's ribs and she wished she had his strength, so she might add a second blow. Speed was her asset, typically, and agility as well. When the horse fumbled, she was able to gain ground, and slipped past Augur. The equine regained footing and began to lurch forward again but Lilia was there, ready. It had given her just enough time to sneak in an arc past Augur's shoulder, and come up suddenly at the point of its shoulder.

Snapping and snarling, she set her eyes near the animal's chest, and jabbed with her muzzle. The whites of its eyes shone as they rolled back to see her. The horse twisted, and veered away from her- but the sudden change of direction cost it speed, and put it broad-side to her oncoming packmates.

she chases behind, eyes squinted half-shut as she dreads the feeling of hoof against skull. leaps forward, snags tail between teeth, pulling loose strands that billow in the wind and string along her muzzle.

they are in hot pursuit, now, and she sees the horse whirl and try to change direction.

it is here, here that she moves with purpose, surging forward to snag the pulsing jugular in her jaws;

a glancing blow, but it strikes true; she withdraws before the limbs can pummel her, watching blood leak from the majestic animal's throat.

it should slow, soon.

they will have their kill, soon.

Augur slammed against the horse’s ribs. Lilia jabbed at its powerful chest. Only Avicus went where Masquerade also instinctively aimed. But their mother only clipped its hairy tail in her teeth before releasing it and surging to the animal’s fore.

With Avicus near the front, Masque brought up the rear in every sense of the word. As the horse began to slow, the young Toweard let out a terrible snarl and leaped, aiming the points of their fangs at the creature’s sphincter. It was their first strike against large game and their aim was true, teeth slicing deep into tender flesh.

they were upon it.

wolverine, who had taken his message well, now turned the horse with her shining teeth.

red woman took the great throat in her hard grasp and tore.

and warbler maimed the animal; its scream was piercing and scudded across the face of the plains, scattering as if it were made of flying hail.

it was a sound that told the man to leap, and so he did so.

warbler needed a name that defined this which was their moment.

thorn caller.

augur reared on powerful haunches, leaving the ground for a moment.

his massive jaws closed around the animal's muzzle.

his gigantic weight dragged the horse sideways to the right as he met the earth once more.

claws on four paws cut harsh furrows in the earth as the the animal fought with its draining strength to continue its slowing flight.

blood rained upon him, turning ash-grey to billows of poppy spatter.

From her perspective, she did not see the actions of her packmates, but she could tell that they were effective. Her move had put the horse right where they needed it to be- and she had to step back as it staggered sideways. A stream of blood fell from its neck where Avicus' jaws had torn through, and the animal belted in pain as Masquerade launched an attack from its rear. Augur's teeth found its muzzle, and as it began to tilt sideways, Lilia leapt for its withers, and sped up the process with her own bodyweight. It hit the ground, pulled down by Augur's vice grip. 

Lilia moved from the horse's withers to its poll, sinking her fangs through the horse's thick mane and establishing her own hold at the back of the horse's skull. Now that it was on the ground and held firm, their victory seemed sealed.

adrenaline has a smell.

prey animals, sweating, the reek sharp and hot against the cool air. and the aroma of the wolves, too, surging with the hunt. all mingling with iron-tang blood; it cuts through winter winds like a knife.

the horse falls, and Avicus takes in the scent of the hunt, nostrils flared wide.

bleeding, dying, held firm;

she casts a dispassionate stare at the rolling eye, white crescent showing, then plunges into the curve of belly as hooves thrash then slow. if they're to vanguish Sovereign, they'll need all this meat; they'll need all their strength.

she feasts first.

Their mouth filled with blood and musk. Thrilled at their success, Masquerade wrenched their head to do as much damage as possible. They ripped and tore until the animal’s gait slowed and the horse stumbled under the onslaught. The Toweard only let go to avoid being crushed as it fell, screaming, to the ground.

Gore dripped from their face as Masquerade watched the others execute the beast. Avicus began to feed. They licked their chops and admired the kill, proud to have played a part in such a tremendous triumph. Their tail lashed the air as they waited for the Wealda’s cue to eat. There was plenty of meat to feed the entire war party.

the teeth of the rise wolves found their mark now.

the animal staggered, fell, bled, died.

red woman's fangs flashed in flesh-taking, and augur stood near to defend her first-claim.

but he did not expect it to be challenged.

he would eat next, inviting the younger members of the pack to join him.

a pound of flesh down her gullet and she lifts her bloodied muzzle;

now, she commands them all.

her muzzle directing Augur first, then Masquerade, then Lilia. but all will feast on the horse eventually, and she steps away after only a short while, panting from the feast.

she watches Masquerade, hoping she'll eat the most of all of them.

she watches Lilia.

she digests, and waits for Nyra.

It did not escape Lilia's notice that Masquerade was gestured to before her. Her eyes were sharp. She was hungry, and hunger made her irritable. She felt that she deserved to be fed first- as she was the one who'd turned the horse right in Avicus' direction. She kept that moment in mind; but would make sure that she was able to outrank Masquerade perhaps some other way. For now, she would shove her way into the carcass, alongside Augur, and get out some of her spite through tearing the horse's pelt to shreds as she searched for the hot meat of the animal's muscle.

The gray Toweard paid no heed to anything but her mother and the meat. When Avicus motioned them closer, they let out a small yip and went to the very place where their teeth had torn into living flesh. Freshly dead, it was still hot and slick with the horse’s blood. They buried their ruddy muzzle to the hilt with a guttural growl.

Their teeth closed around tender entrails, pulling them free in a shower of gore and feasting on them before they could hit the ground. Masquerade’s tail flicked hither and thither as they bolted down mouthful after mouthful of horse meat, until their belly visibly distended from it. Only then did they back away from the carcass with a belch and stretch out beside the Wealda.

last for me! <33 good hunting

once more the rise wolves succeeded.

once more they came away with full bellies and sated teeth.

augur settled nearby, body aligned toward red woman.

he began a low howl, a song of pride and confidence that proclaimed the ferocity of their clan in all directions.