Porcupine Ridge Welcome to the Weiner Hut

Anyone welcome ^^ but maybe an alpha? @Capriccio @Taggarik

Anwyl walked up the mountain side, rubbing his back and stopping to pee on every sparse tree he found. Marking borders was his least favorite thing to do, but it was one of his many responsibilities as a pack wolf. Lately they'd been having a bunch more wolves join, all which were male which he found was quite odd. The female porcupine were highly outnumbered, and yet both female were more dominant than most of the males in the pack. It reminded him of his birth pack, his mother and his aunt were very high ranking, and usually they did more of the leading than the alpha and beta males. This pack sure made him feel home.

The yearling stopped to stare out at a almost noon high sun. It was a bright day, no snow or rain except that that was already on the ground. It was a beautiful sight, the vibrant blue sky with the white shimmering orb that sent its rays dancing among the blue. He smiled, he preferred the cozy forests, but when looking out at the sky from a mountain ridge, it almost made him want to change his mind.

Their borders had been busy since they first howled their claim over the ridge; several males and one female had all sought to join them. One had not been successful, and the black wolf knew that his pack and his wolves were the better for it. Numbers did not contribute to success so much as harmony did, or so he believed, and it was under this belief he would continue to operate.

For once, no one was knocking on their door, and so the black wolf stole the moment to mingle with his packmates. He picked up the trail of yearling Anwyl, and followed the path into the higher elevations of the ridge, finding the boy admiring the sunny day scenery. He woofed a greeting as he approached, confident as always, and relaxed.

"How are you liking the ridge?" He inquired as he drew to within several paces, tail swaying lightly, amiably.

Anwyl's head turned when he heard a friendly woof a bit down from him. He spotted his alpha, the large black male was coming his way. Anwyl straightened his posture as he prepared to talk, Taggarik seemed interested in talking by the way he had greeted him and was now coming towards him. Anwyl wouldn't mind a chat, but he was enjoying the view by himself. Tagg arrived by his side, Anwyl gave a respectful nod and stared up at the larger male.

Its been great. Thanks so much again for accepting me. Winter's harsh, especially on your own you know. The optimist sighed, thinking about what he'd been through since leaving his birth pack. Many times along his journey he'd regretted leaving, but he'd decided he'd made the right choice. Besides, every pack needs a little brother, and Anwyl was more than happy to take up the part.

How have you been? Any new recruits lately?

"You're welcome," he returned, "just earn your keep." None would get a free ride here on the ridge. The strength of the wolf was the pack and the strength of the pack was a wolf, and he would not allow himself or his pack to be weakened by anyone who did not contribute.

"Oh just dandy," he replied as he rolled his broad shoulders and arched his back in a quick stretch. "There's another young male in our midst, Romulus, and we've another female, Kesan. There was a trespasser too, a white female, but she was chased off." He paused, his gaze casting downward to look at nothing as he inwardly searched his memory. "Ah, there was also a black male that sought to join us, but he was not suitable." Taggarik shrugged.

"Have you seen anything interesting?"

I will. Anwyl added, puffing out his chest a little to show that he was strong and could care for himself as said. He wanted to prove his worth the Tagg, wanted to show him that he could be a useful asset to the pack. In his old pack, Anwyl had just been the little one, 'everyone protect Annie' or 'don't touch anything Annie'. He loved and missed his family, but it felt good to have a fresh start and to be whatever he wanted to be and not just what was expected of him.

The goings on of the pack were interesting already. Especially the part about the intruder. He'd already met Kesan, the pack's beta female, but he'd yet to meet this Romulus guy. He made a quick mental note to catch up with him and introduce himself. I met Kesan, she's real cool. We had a snow fight. Haven't met Romulus yet though, I'll get around to it soon. Tagg then inquired if he'd seen anything interesting. The yearling shook his head no and replied, No nothing really. I saw a porcupine, I think I finally get why this place is called porcupine ridge. He chuckled a little at his joke. When he'd first arrived and heard the name of the pack, he didn't know what a porcupine looked like and he thought the name silly. But not anymore.

The black wolf's stout muzzle bobbed gently as Anwyl spoke of having met their beta female and the young Romulus, further commenting that he had also seen a porcupine and understood where the ridge had taken it's name. Taggarik chuckled softly.

"Ah, yes, there's quite a few of them around here. See those bare trees?" He gestured toward the top of a small fir, the dark bark along its trunk and parts of its limbs stripped away to white, glaring wood. "They do that." In places, there were even limbs that had been broken off or clipped away littering the ground. Now, with winter here, unmistakable trails dusted with snow fleas led to and from these feeding areas to burrows in the snow.

"They're actually good eating," he commented. "Have you ever tried one?"

True story: they hold a wild game dinner here and serve up basically anything, and I've been told that porcupine is one of the better meats. Unfortunately, I've never been able to get tickets to go to try for myself!

Cool! Well I hope you can get tickets sometime c:

Anwyl turned his head to look at the barren trees. The tops of them were stripped of all bark, making them look snow capped. Huh, neato. He thought, daydreaming as he looked at the stripped trees. He returned to reality as Tagg asked him a question. Good eating? How can you eat past those spikes? He thought, he unknowingly had a look of disgust on his face. He couldn't imagine that they could possibly be good, but it only made him want to try one more. No I haven't had one before. I thought they'd be a little... Sharp.

The youngster still had much to learn, it all came with experience. He was glad to have found such an open and friends pack. Most of his pack mates seemed willing to teach him, and he was always willing to listen. Then an idea popped into his head, maybe Tagg would hunt with him! He wanted to try porcupine and what better way to get to know his alpha than hunt with him. Hey, would you maybe want to track one with me? A porcupine I mean. The boy wagged his tail excitedly, his big pale blue eyes flashing a puppy dog look.

I learned tonight that it was cancelled :( they're not allowed to have it anymore, apparently.

Taggarik had a short chuckle at the boy's comment. Indeed, most of the dorsal side of the porcupine was sharp and nigh impossible to do anything with. The trick lay in flipping them over. Before he could explain the technique necessary to do so, Anwyl eagerly suggested they track one.

The black wolf nodded, sweeping his muzzle to gesture for Anwyl to take point and lead their hunt. He would be able to appraise his subordinate's skill then, and since porcupine were not exactly fast, instruct on a step-by-step basis how to kill one if one should be found.

"Let's go," he said with a smile.

Aww, well maybe someday xP

Anwyl smiled and wagged his tail when his alpha urged him to lead the hunt. He was excited to be doing something with Tagg, get to know the black wolf better and learn at the same time. It was a good and fun opportunity for both males. He nodded and began forwards, climbing down from the ridge and towards the more forested area. He walked on for a while, sniffing at the ground and checking every tree for stripped bark. Finally he picked up on a porcupine's scent. He wouldn't of recognized it if hadn't he found Kesan toying with one the other day. She had let it go, but it had been his first real encounter with a porcupine. He trotted after the scent trail until he saw it at last, burrowed at the edge of a tree. He wasn't sure what to do quite yet, so he turned to Tagg for guidance remaining completely still.

Is it fast? How should I kill it?He asked his mentor, eyes trained on the prickly creature as it sniffed at the snowy ground. He was itching to leap out and take it down, but he didn't want to stab himself to death either. No he'd wait for Tagg to explain how to kill it.

It did not take long for the yearling to find a porcupine trail, and even less time for them to spot the porcupine that was making it. It lumbered between the trees, not a care in the world, oblivious to the predators that watched from behind.

The black wolf shook his head. "Not at all," he said. "They'll take off if spooked, but they'll be heading for a tree. They'll never outrun a good wolf, or any predator for that matter."

Taggarik drew a breath, pausing for a moment before explaining how Anwyl might go about killing the porcupine. "Go for the snout," he instructed. "The porcupine will do everything to keep it's back to you, and may even run backwards in an attempt to hit you. You need to get around front and attack its face."

It was easier said than done. One wrong step or a bit of bad timing and a wolf could get himself a paw- or snout-full of quills, or worse.

"Go ahead and try, but be careful. You don't need to kill him this time. Practice."

Sorry for the wait, crazy week xD

Anwyl turned to Taggarik, soaking in the knowledge he gave him. Porcupines didn't sound too hard to catch, but he had to be careful if he didn't want a face full of spikes. Get around to it's face. Ok I'll try. He thought, getting ready to run out at the creature. Ok! Wish me luck! He whispered with a grin before rushing from his hiding place towards the animal. The porcupine squealed, he had startled it. That was a good start. He rushed towards its face, he's footsteps were quick and light so that he wouldn't be deterred by the snow.

The porcupine attempted to turn out of the way to stab him with its quills, but Anwyl was too fast. He grabbed its nose and flung it into the air. It hit the ground with a hard thump, it's breath knocked away. The was Anwyl's chance. He grabbed it tightly in his jaws, staying clear of its back, and crunched. It died quickly, he could taste it's blood trickle into his mouth. He turned to Taggarik, and dropped his kill. I did- phluwe! I did it! He spat out his words, some of the porcupines fluff had stuck in his mouth. He spat it out quickly, and looked up at Tagg with an embarrassed smile. Sorry bout that. More fur than I expected. He laughed a little hoping that the alpha would be proud of him and disregard him choking on fluff.

no problem!

"Good luck," he whispered with a wink, and then dropped his haunches into the snow to watch his subordinate take on a porcupine for the first time. The black wolf expected a stand off, expected some tentativeness from bother parties, but there was none of that. The yearling had spunk, and he charged for the snout right off the bat and even succeeded in dodging a counter from the porcupine. To Taggarik's surprise, Anwyl was able to get a hold of the critter's nose and gave it a throw, disorienting it long enough for him to make a kill. It was over almost as quick as it had begun, and it looked like the delta had done it before.

"Damn," he said with a grin. "Good job. To the victor go the spoils. Eat up! You earned it." His tail thumped in the snow, pleased and proud. Perhaps young Anywl would become a proficient small game hunter.

Anwyl beamed at his alpha's praise. To be honest, the entire time he was going after the prickly animal, he'd been screaming like a little girl inside. But now that he'd done it, he felt really good about himself. Thank you! Anwyl said, giving Tagg a respectful yet prideful glance. He then looked back down at his porcupine. It's aroma was mouth watering, and Anwyl was ready to dig in. However he wasn't quite sure how. He'd have to pick out the spines. Perhaps eating the damn thing would be harder than hunting it. He quickly began to pull out its spines, and once he'd cleared a fresh patch of fleshy skin, he tore into it. It was sweet, the blood adding a juicy aspect to it. He ate slowly, loving every bite.

He left a bit of it for Tagg, feeling obligated to share with his alpha. He picked up the remains and trotted over to the large black male. He dropped it in front of him and nudged it, backing away to give Tagg some space to eat. He sighed a satisfied sigh and said in a jovial tone, That was some good shit. After he ate, and felt replenished, he always felt really good. As if he'd never be hungry again. He sat down and rested for a moment, feeling fat and happy.

Last post for me! :)

The black wolf held his tongue, but his lips were pursed and his cheeks puffed a bit as he restrained a laugh as his subordinate took to pulling out quills in order to clear a small area from which he could pluck flesh. Anwyl was fortunate to not get an errant quill in his nose, lip, or tongue. He ate his fill, and then brought the remains to Taggarik to share.

He looked at the boy for a moment, a half-smirk on his lips and his gray eyes glittering with humor. Then without taking his eyes away from Anwyl, he rolled the porcupine over with a heavy paw, exposing the quill-less belly. Taggarik dipped his snout and took a few modest bites of the tender stomach, more for show than a willingness to partake, humming as he savored the sweet meat nonetheless.

"It sure is," he agreed as his tongue ran across his mouth, wondering if his last, unspoken lesson on handling porcupines was clear enough. "Thanks for the bite, but you should save the rest for later. As I said, you earned it." He winked, and with a wave of his tail excused himself.

Cool thanks for the thread! I'll archive it <3

Soon Tagg was finished with his share. The black alpha had taught Anwyl something, perhaps the most important lesson of the day. When hunting porcupine, flip it over first to eat it's stomach. Something that he would remember. Aww damn why didn't I think that? He thought with a roll of his eyes and a mental face palm. No problem! I will! And thanks for teaching me. If you hadn't told me that they tasted good I probably wouldn't have tried it anyway. See you around then! He gave his alpha a gracious nod, then picked up the remaining porcupine meat and trotted away with it, taking it back to his den. He'd save it, probably wake up in the middle of the night and pig out. He was glad to have met with Tagg today, not only had he learned something, but also got a chance to eat and have fun. He walked with a bounce in his step, like the little pup he was.