Moonspear don't say that you want me

She may be reluctant to peel her pathway off the borderlands, but she wanted to force a shift in focus if only for the waning hours of the day. Their pack was changing, and as it stood, they were welcoming the longer days of springtime without a dedicated hunter among their lot. Vaguely unsettled by the notion, she wanted to do more towards it to pick up any slack this may create, and perhaps inspire others to formally take up the role soon.

So she would start with what she knew best, and headed for a creek. She followed the edge for a long time and in intervals, traveled in the waters themselves. All the fish were small and far too fast to make for worthwhile catches. It was still too early for most frogs to be out, too. Nothing really caught her eye and disappointment clipped at her heels.

She was traveling slow alongside the waters as the stream followed a mountainside curve. Fringed with a copse of trees, she could only see just past them and there at the bank stood a drinking doe. Young, perhaps no more than a yearling, and a cursory glance around suggested that she was by herself as dusk settled over the mountainside. Amekaze weighed her options. Alone, her odds were slim and disadvantages clear, even as she lingered in the shadows of cover to see what the deer would do next. This was not exactly the type of hunting she set out to do on the regular.

The days passed slowly, blurred by the monotony of rituals. Floki fell into a routine -- wake up, patrol, hunt, nap, patrol, and then sleep. Sometimes the order of events varied, particularly since their borders had been visited by a number of lone wolves recently. He was glad to see their numbers swell once more, after dwindling around the time of Wildfire's departure, but it was with a hollow smile that he interacted with his new packmates.

He was a decent gamekeeper, though he had never officially earned the title. Once, he had aspired to be a hunter, but that had been eclipsed by the duties that accompanied his promotion. But when he spotted Amekaze and noted that the Alpha female was eyeing a young deer, he began to salivate. He was above, on one of the mountain's lower ledges, and he hastened down quickly and quietly.

The winding, rocky path brought him eventually to Amekaze's flank. He chuffed softly, announcing his presence, then glanced through the failing daylight at the doe. It continued to drink from the creek, paying the two wolves no mind.

She observed, still and sharply watching every move. What she saw was a healthy specimen, and judging by the sheen of lean muscle beneath her coat, Amekaze suspected she was fleet-footed. This didn't bode well for her success, but should she manage to sink her teeth in, the reward would be that much sweeter.

She licked her lips at the thought and soon after, Floki appeared. With him, her odds climbed and she eyed him to scope his intentions. His presence alone only motivated her to at least give the deer an attempt. They might as well, and she was feeling feisty enough to just lunge. She nodded at him, waved her tail with interest, and returned her sights to the deer for a moment more.

Knowing that no matter how exactly this panned out for the predators, they had to start by getting in a little closer. She prepared to swing wide, but watched the deer's ears as she moved. They would have to fall into place quickly and quietly, she sensed, or there would be hardly even be a chase here.

Words were unnecessary between the two wolves. Floki was tuned in to even the subtlest indications given by Amekaze, from the flick of an ear to the path of her green gaze. She acknowledged him quietly, and they observed their prey for a few long moments.

Naturally, as Amekaze was the more experienced hunter, Floki would defer to her. He waited for her to make the first move, but positioned himself to show that he was ready. He lowered his body, tail flicking predatorily as his muscles tensed. He anticipated that they would need to remain stealthy in order to sustain the element of surprise; a full-on rush would only spook the deer, and once it kicked its heels up and ran it would be difficult for them to catch it.

i'll probably roll for random stuff here so feel free! roll for this

As with any prey, she knew deer could be particularly alert, and perhaps even more so when one wandered alone. One little crunch of a twig or rustle of leaves could send it darting without a second glance. This, she hoped to avoid and felt she was doing a pretty good job of it. Her steps were thoughtfully placed, and every move forward to close in was made with the utmost of care. From the edge of her sights, she knew Floki was geared up and ready as well.

When she saw the deer's ears twitching and swiveling more than before, she stopped and hunkered low. Maybe it was on to them. There was a chance the winds had shifted just right and gave them away, or maybe it was just a feeling the deer had with two sets of eyes on its hide. That would not be hard to believe.. and before she could pick herself back up, the deer suddenly took off. Ame swore beneath her breath, and forced forth a burst of speed as circumstance dictated tactics change. Stealth was no longer the option.

If she could gain the proper ground on the fleeing beast, she'd hope to steer it towards Floki. She didn't get a chance to look for his exact position, she was far too focused on weaving through the foliage and dedicating herself to more agile speed.

Evens Floki catches up, odds he doesn't! 9

Edit: Phooey!

Despite their best efforts, the deer was alerted to the presence of the two wolves and reacted accordingly. It fled, and Floki leaped after it, looking to Amekaze for guidance. He watched as she swung wide behind the doe, staying on its trail but attempting to dictate the direction in which it would run. If they were successful, they would still be able to trip it up and reap the benefits of the hunt.

He dug his paws into the soft earth, sending chunks of dirt flying behind him. His ears flattened against his head as he attempted to become as streamlined as possible. He bore down on the deer, closing the gap between its hooves and his snout -- but suddenly found his feet slipping out from under him. He wasn't sure what had thrown his balance, but that brief wobble was enough to give the doe the distance that it needed.

Floki gave a frustrated growl as he gathered himself, throwing another glance at Amekaze to see how the dark-coated leader would fare in her next effort.

evens she catches up, odds she doesn't: 6
if she doesn't, odds for she tries again/even for abandons it: 1
woot

Scenery swung by and she wove her pathway best she could. The deer was quick, brutally so over this sort of terrain. It seemed to hit the lucky spots whereas the carnivores could not, as evidenced when Floki's pursuit fell short. Amekaze wasn't feeling overly confident either, still a bit sour over the failed sneak attack, but sucked in a deep breath and surged forward herself.

It took her a few strides to get the momentum going, but this time, she seemed to fall into place better. She savored the satisfaction of something gone right, and managed to come in close enough to strike her jaws into the deer's haunch -- not deep enough to grab and hold, but certainly enough to wound it. Progress, finally, for the predators and while not the most ideal control of its fleeing, she would be happy to see it slow down.

Evens = hit, odds = miss: 4
If it's a miss, second attempt with evens being success: 1

As Floki focused on regaining his speed, his legs pumping steadily beneath him, his gaze followed Amekaze. The lithe, dark leader honed in on the deer and skillfully avoiding its flailing hooves to deliver a strike to its flank. Bright red blood sprang up against the doe's honey-colored haunches and Floki felt encouraged as he watched the animal falter.

Now was his chance. He accelerated and found himself unable to distinguish the sound of his paws pounding the earth from the thrumming of his own heart. Soon, he was running almost alongside the injured deer. Rather than go for a big attack, he darted in and out repeatedly, taking the opportunity to snap at its legs. The doe was already off balance, and he hoped to disable it even further.

He managed to take a sizable chunk out of its foreleg with his teeth, and the thing went down quickly. Despite the beginning stages of blood loss, it struggled back to its feet and stumbled forward. The end was near, but the wolves' job wasn't over just yet.

evens for successful grip, odds for something goes bad: 1
1-10 of how good/bad either outcome is: 5  

Encouraged now, she tried to stay close to the fleeing animal so not to lose her progress, but even wounded (and probably with a healthy heap of adrenaline in its blood), the deer was nimble and swift. However, the blood staining its leg and Floki's persistence were only going to wear it down further. The effects of it were already becoming more noticeable by the moment and she felt as if this tipped the odds more in their favor.

So while smelling the blood and watching the animal falter, she moved in anew for her next strike. By the time her long strides closed her in, the deer was hauling itself back to all four feet. She swung for a grip on a hindleg (hoping for further up the thigh if she could), whichever one was nearest to her at the time, but the prey pulled all of itself out of her reach and her paws clicked shut over nothing but open air. New frustration followed and she had no time to dwell on it, because the deer gathered it's remaining strength for a bucking-kick out in her direction. Amekaze was forced to fall back, losing momentum and awkwardly scrambling over her own paws to keep herself out of reach of the strike while the prey took the advantage to dart forward, putting more distance between it and its pursuer this time.

Evens he catches up, odds he doesn't: 5

Floki kept pace with the deer for the time being, though he hung back to catch his breath. In the meantime, Amekaze made her move -- from the corner of his eye, he saw her swing and miss, her forepaws sailing harmlessly through the air just inches from the animal's haunches. It wouldn't have meant much, but it then kicked out, and Floki gathered a breath into his lungs and held it there. For a moment, time seemed to slow as he anticipated the impact of the deer's hooves striking Amekaze.

But she managed to avoid its feet, and the Beta exhaled sharply. However, his relief was only short-lived when he realized that the doe was now steadily putting distance between itself and the predators, despite its injuries. He attempted to regain his former speed, but his muscles were growing fatigued from the effort, and while he pursued it for a short while, his stamina began to dwindle. As loathe as he was to admit it, perhaps it was time to call it quits.

Where once a surge of hope had come, she felt it fading fast. The deer moved ahead and all the while, her chest burned -- with exertion and frustration combined. Much of her own speed had been compromised and even with her best efforts, it was taking a lot out of her to regain it. One quick glance towards the sterling beta's direction confirmed that he too was tiring out.

She bore down for a few strides with a focus about her aimed to one last surge forward. But it wasn't enough to pull her close enough into contention again. The energy was spent and the deer got away, so the wolves were left to pull up empty-handed.

Amekaze slowed steadily, panting as her gait fell into a loose walk. Her disappointment came as a small grumble, but, it was all part of it. With successes came the failures. It was a nice try for a deer they randomly came upon at such short notice. "Well. I guess.. at best we can hope the injuries affect it enough later on," she huffed and shook her head while slowing further. It was one possibility of many, at least.

Fade with your next post? :)

The deer only continued to put distance between itself and the two wolves, and Floki slowed further when he noticed that Amekaze had decreased her speed. Gradually, he came to a walk, his eyes still glued on the retreating figure of what would have been a substantial meal. He turned an ear towards Ame, who suggested that maybe the doe would end up as a belated feast, should it pass away from its injuries.

He nodded and gave a flick of his tail. "I'll keep an eye out for it," he promised, making a mental note to return to this particular area in the days to come. He offered a subtle incline of his head, a farewell nod, and turned away from Amekaze, intending to retreat back up the slope.

sure thang

The burn of the failure lingered, but slowly, her heart rate and breathing began to approach normal again. She realized the thirst making her tongue tacky when she nodded to Floki. "Same here," she said, with that, it was settled. Even if either of them did not find it, if it stayed on the mountain, any of their packmates could come upon it with greater luck as well. She would watch for signs of it regardless.

While there was no meal to be had, they could cope. Little did she know of what was to follow in mere days, but all the same, she nodded a quiet farewell to the silver Beta and turned to move off down her own pathway.