A dulling mist crept across the low hills leading towards the mountain, and with the mist came the soft pitter-patter of tiny raindrops. They sprinkled across lake Rodney and turned the pale leaves of the forest in to a more vibrant tone, although nothing could replenish the color that the oncoming winter sapped out of them. Amon wasn't among the trees where he usually roosted, nor was he patrolling the lake's edge; he was stationed like a great boulder upon a distant rise, far to the west. It was entirely possible he had crossed over the pack boundary, but he wasn't thinking of that.
Over the next ridge there was a small herd of elk - very small, in fact. He had tracked them from the lake all the way out here, not with the intention of hunting them (for that would be a foolish thing to do on his own) but to monitor them. The herd had lingered upon the hillside for a solid two hours now, and Amon was curious about where they'd wander next. Perhaps he could manipulate their movements? Spook them back towards the caldera? It was a thought, and nothing more - something to occupy his mind while the soft rain soaked in to him.
After trekking through the light rain, Somnia could see the small herd, as well as the older wolf. He was the same wolf from the pumpkin patch after all. Silently, making sure that the herd couldn't sense her, Somnia crept towards her fellow pack-mate. In a quiet voice, she introduced herself."My name's Somnia." She paused for a moment, thinking. "You think we'd be able to catch one of them? It might be difficult, but it's not impossible if we could come up with a strategy. Or, we could also see if someone else shows up?"
The herd was surprisingly small - a pair of elderly elk, their shoulders hunched like his own and their bodies graying; a few young and healthy females; there were no newborns, though. Perhaps they would come with spring. The beasts mulled about with their heads down, grazing across the frosted grass. Occasionally the oldest of the elk - a great male with splintered and blunted antlers - would lift his head and peer around. But without any reason to fear, he would return to his feeding.
Amon watched them every few minutes, but grew steadily bored. They weren't doing anything of interest, after all. But when he began to adjust his body to ease his own joints, the sounds caught upon the air and brought the entire herd's attention to him. Amon ducked, waited, and thought to leave the herd entirely — but then there was another body nearby, one of the caldera wolves. Instantly Amon was nervous that she would scare the herd.
With a swift glance towards the family beyond, he saw that they were too busy munching. Whew.
When he turned back to the girl, she was introducing herself. Amon recognized her from the pumpkin party - but he was hardly pleased to see the youngster. She had almost spoiled all of his work. With a low voice, he rumbled, Amon. I've been tracking them for hours. If you want to hunt them then you'll need someone to help you - that ain't my job.
But then they'd have to summon others - and the chance of the initial howl spooking the herd was a great one. Double back and call for support - I'll keep an eye on them.
(Amon, or anyone else who joins can feel free to tag anyone else.)
You guys that I tagged don't have to post, just trying to bring your attention to the thread since it could help with your trades. Don't feel obligated to do anything. ^.^
Somnia felt respect for Amon, for he tracked the herd for hours without spooking them. She also felt the need to impress him, gain respect in the old man's eyes. There probably was much Somnia could learn from him, and she was willing to summon the patience that usually escaped her to listen and learn. But, that could wait until another time. Her job now was to alert others of the herd's presence without spooking them, while Amon watched them.
Silently, waiting moments between daring to move again, Somnia backed away from the herd. After she got far enough away that the herd was out of sight and hearing range that they wouldn't be alerted by her movement, she broke into a run. She ran farther into the caldera territory, away from the herd. Eventually, she stopped. The herd should be far enough from her location that they wouldn't be alerted by her call. Somnia let out a howl, interwoven with the message of 'food!' It wasn't loud enough to alert the elk from this distance, but it was loud enough to get the attention of fellow hunters.
IC: When Somnia's howl went up, Elwood was lounging near his den. He picked his head up off of his forepaws, ears standing tall as he listened. "Food!" she cried, and there wasn't need for any further explanation; the aspiring gamekeeper swiftly got to his feet and began to move towards Somnia. He ran as fast as he dared, not wishing to slip on the thin layer of frost that covered the ground en route to a potential hunt.
Soon, he saw her, and slowed his pace until he was alongside her. He bumped her shoulder with his nose, an amiable greeting, then with a roguish grin he said, "You rang?" He didn't see any prey in the immediate vicinity that would have prompted her to call for backup, so he assumed that she would lead him to the quarry.
Also, reestablishing order post after mine?
"Yes, I did." Somnia replied with a large grin. She was practically bouncing up and down from the excitement of hunting Amon's find. "There's a small herd of elk that Amon found. There was an elderly looking pair that look as if they would drop dead soon. I figured we should help speed up the process for one, possibly two if I could gather enough wolves." Somnia explained.
She patiently waited for any others to show up. When it became apparent that no one else was coming, she looked at Elwood with disappointment. "I was hoping more wolves would show up, but I guess we could still give it a shot. I mean, that elk was reeaalllly old. We could still probably catch it with some strategy. Like, one of us waits farther ahead -the spot can be designated with signals when we get there- and the other will drive it right past them, giving whoever waits a head start. Does that sound all right? And if so, do you want to wait, or chase them to me? Oh, and Amon already said that he won't be participating."
After figuring out the basics, Somnia led Elwood back to Amon and the herd. She gave a small smile to Amon before observing the herd. She decided that the one elderly elk -which was a female- already had one foot in the grave. Two in this case? Somnia gave Elwood a slight nudge to signal that she wanted to go after this one. Now she just had to find the right spot for one of them wait, and the other would have to separate the old elk from the heard and towards the other.
IC: Elwood listened excitedly as Somnia explained the circumstances. Amon had tracked a group of elk, and though he didn't want to hunt them himself, he had invited the aspiring gamekeepers to take the lead. It was a great opportunity, and the young and inexperienced male saw only the opportunity that presented itself, not the danger of the negative outcomes.
"Let's do it," he replied eagerly, licking his lips in anticipation. As for Somnia's plan, he had no alterations to make. "That sounds good. I can wait while you chase them to me," he agreed, thinking that his size would give him more of an advantage than Somnia when it came to bringing down an elk. Besides, he suspected that she was lighter and quicker on her feet than he was.
He followed her back to Amon and greeted the older male with a respectful bob of his head. He then quietly observed the herd alongside Somnia. She was right; two of the elk were considerably more elderly than the others, which suggested that they would be easy targets. As she indicated which one she wanted to go after, he nodded his consent and then slunk away, moving into position quite a distance from Somnia and Amon but out of the elks' sight.
The girl did as she was told. She departed, and when Amon heard the distant lilt of a voice upon the wind, he knew it wouldn't be long before the girl returned with gamekeepers in tow. Her arrival was prompt, and as Amon swung his head and caught sight of her approaching - expecting to see three or four individuals following her - he felt a slight deflation when only one other was running by her side. As the pair got nearer Amon identified the boy as Elwood. Briefly they exchanged greetings, and then Somnia was off - Elwood taking up a similar position elsewhere. Amon sat back in his hiding place and waited, watching the show in silence.
Somnia crept towards the spot at which it seemed to be the best angle to cut the elderly elk off, and towards Elwood. When enough time had passed for Elwood to get to his spot, Somnia sprung from her hiding spot, speeding towards the one elk at an angle.
It could move pretty fast for having one foot in the grave, Somnia could give it that, but she wouldn't give up so easily. She tried to herd it towards Elwood, but the elk had other plans. It did flee towards Elwood, but it did so at an angle where it went far off to the side of him where they weren't planning it to go. Well, nothing she could do but give chase.
IC: Once Elwood reached his designated location, he crouched and waited for Somnia to move. She would be the one springing the trap, and he would be responsible for tying up the loose ends. Once he attacked the elk and slowed it down, she would have the opportunity to join in and hopefully their teamwork would produce a positive result.
However, fate had a different plan for the gamekeepers. Somnia set everything into motion, rushing the elk and sending them scattering. Their target thundered toward Elwood, but rather than following the intended path, it veered sharply away. This left the wolves with no choice but to chase it, so Elwood attempted to shift gears. He hadn't been planning on running, so the elk and Somnia had a decent head start and it would be difficult to catch up to them.
As if it wasn't bad enough, Elwood failed to pay attention to where he was going and lost his footing over a cluster of branches. He stumbled, nearly face-planting into the soft earth, but managed to keep his feet at the last minute. By the time he righted himself, the elk had gained even more distance, and there was no way for him to catch up or for Somnia to bring down the beast herself.
Somnia approached the older wolf, her downcast expression already spoke the news before a single word came out of her mouth. "It got away..." She was about to walk away, but thinking better of it, she added, "Sorry to have ruined your observation session."
IC: Elwood slowed to a jog, a frown furrowing his brow as he watched Somnia race after the elk. When she realized that she was alone and that her hunting partner had never caught up to her, she, too, gave up the chase and turned back. Feeling disappointed, Elwood padded towards Amon, who had been looking on from an inconspicuous location, so as not to disturb the hunt. With the way things had gone, however, the older male could very well have broken his cover; it wouldn't have affected the outcome.
"Well, that was a bummer," Elwood quipped, glancing at Somnia as she strode up alongside him. Not only had they fudged the hunt, but they had ruined Amon's hours of careful observation. "Sorry about that," he murmured, dropping his head slightly.
He should have abandoned his vigil and aided in their chase, even if he was far slower than the two younger, lighter wolves. He should have at least done more than sit and watch - but alas, Amon did not. And now the herd had taken flight, charging away from the approaching threat and towards the distant mountains. Even the very old elk seemed to be too quick for the spry hunters, who returned with a deflated sort of energy; while the girl stated the obvious, the boy gave a quick apology, and Amon sighed.
He wasn't angry with them. It had been a good chance to practice their skills. The herd would not return to this area of the wilds for some time though, not with the memory of wolves to sour their plans. Eh, it happens. I'll find something else for you.
Maybe something smaller or slower, which he could help with. But the man wouldn't get his hopes up.
As he rose from his location, his body popped in various places - like it had conformed to a shape, and now was returning to a wolfish figure. He stretched his rear legs with a couple of steps, feeling the tension in his hips, and then turned towards the direction of the caldera. Without another word, Amon began to march back to the pack lands.
Somnia winced as she heard the popping sound Amon made. It must be terrible to be old and achy and arthritic, she realized, even though she wasn't completely sure if Amon had arthritis. It just seemed like most older wolves did, so maybe everyone got it when they were old? That aside, Somnia followed Amon towards the Caldera, looking back to make sure Elwood was following.
The older male did not seem to be angry or upset with them, although that didn't stop Elwood from feeling bad. They had still disrupted his tracking and then had essentially unraveled all the work Amon had done. But not every hunt could be a success, and all three wolves accepted that.
"Thanks, Amon," Elwood replied; Amon's offer was a generous one, and he looked forward to taking him up on it at a later date. For now, Elwood was ready to head home and it appeared that his companions were too. He fell into step behind Amon, exchanging a quick smile with Somnia as they made their way back to the caldera.