Lost Creek Hollow We're on fire

This was it. Wildfire could practically taste blood on her tongue already. She crept behind @Freyja, the girl having taken point now. She exchanged intermittent glances with @Gavriel to make sure he was ready too. It would take all three of them to successfully take down their prey. Luckily, they had eaten the night before and none of them were worn out yet. But if everything went according to plan, they would feast and then probably take a long, sated nap after the fact.

This place was beautiful too. Although Wildfire was fairly focused on the hunt, she couldn't help but admire the full fall splendor all around them. If their strategy required an ambush of any kind, her coat color would offer the perfect camouflage against the warm background of reds, oranges, marigolds and chestnuts.

They were getting closer, she could sense it. The scent that wafted from the treaded road was only intensifying and she was beginning to grow even more aware of what laid ahead.

Taking a chance to break her glance from the road ahead, she turned to her traveling companions. “We should assign roles since we’re getting close,” she said, looking from one wolf to the other.

*flings Floki across the map*

A few days ago, Floki had informed @Amekaze and @Charon of his plans to travel northeast. Before the birth of his nieces, Amekaze had suggested that he visit the Sunspire so that he could report back to her on its status; now that Alya, Lyra, Hydra, and Korei Julia were over a month old, he was ready to resume his wandering ways. He would, of course, make sure to spend plenty of time at home between trips -- he didn't want to miss too much of the girls' growth and development.

He had moved at a leisurely pace, his paws pointed directly towards Moonspear's sister peak. It was easy to find it; it stood like a lone sentinel above the rest of the mountain range, beckoning him to its slopes. Floki dedicated a full day to exploring its lower reaches, combing through pieces of history. Truthfully, there wouldn't be much to share with Amekaze -- the mountain had been abandoned for some time, and the only scents crisscrossing its paths were the fleeting remnants of lone wolves and other wildlife. He did take note of the presence of a pack nearby, though he kept his distance.

Once he had thoroughly acquainted himself with the Sunspire, he set out once more. Rather than return home, however, he continued to the northeast, with no real destination in mind. This was unfamiliar territory, and the scout felt a thrill of excitement as he cataloged the new landscape to his memory. By now, he had passed through a field of wildflowers and an isolated meadow and was slipping into the cool shade of a heavily canopied forest. Around him, the leaves had burst into color, and he admired their bold hues as he took a long, refreshing drink from a trickling stream.

Freyja's voice distracted her from the fall splendor all around them. Her lips stretched into a smile at the girl's astute observation. "Good call," she said, ears tilting as a wind sprang up, scattering the leaves on the forest floor and rustling those still clinging to the limbs overhead. Wildfire naturally tipped her muzzle into it, hoping to pick up more clues about their targets on the breeze, but all she smelled was a hint of winter and...

"Floki?" she whispered, shock freezing up her limbs even as she saw a flash of silver and beige through the trees.

Gavriel doesn't get himself involved much in the tracking, knowing the whole purpose is to further Freyja's knowledge and experience. Since she'd acquired the apprenticeship, taking it seriously, the pride he feels for her little girl and actually getting to see her at work, is more than he knows how to explain. Distracted for the moment as he listens to the conversation, he doesn't notice the wolf at first, but when he catches wind his hackles raise. About the same time Wildfire has whispered something, he turns his attention to her for only a second and then back out to the glimpse of a silver wolf he doesn't recognize.

Freyja was all too involved with the current trail and assigning roles to keep her attention towards all of the smells that the forest had to offer. It was only when Wildfire spoke and Gavriel growled that she pulled herself to attention.

Instinctively, Freyja’s fur pricked and her lips pulled back in an attempt  to reveal a snarl. Despite Wildfire’s concern in the other, Freyja was unsure whether or not this other wolf could be trusted.

He didn't hear them so much as feel them. The water was like a cold punch to the stomach, enough to sharpen his senses after multiple days of travel. Floki stopped drinking suddenly, though his muzzle remained near the water. He blinked, his own hackles bristling; there were other wolves nearby. Slowly, he lifted his head, tracing his gaze carefully across the bright fall landscape.

There was nothing to be afraid of -- after all, he met strangers on a daily basis when he was traveling -- so he backpedaled from the creek and moved through the trees, nostrils flared. It appeared that the wolves were upwind, so he couldn't quite smell them; but as the yellow foliage parted around him, his gaze landed on a group of three. Normally, this would have been unremarkable, but as his gaze settled on the fiery red female, his innards turned to jelly.

His first instinct was to run, but he seemed to have lost control over his legs. He gaped at Wildfire and her companions, his bemused expression surely conveying his lack of threat (although he barely noticed the defensive grimaces of the other two wolves). He only had eyes for her: "Wildfire?"

Wildfire wildly hoped that she was mistaken. Perhaps it was his twin brother. She clung to that thought, though the moment he stepped into view and opened his mouth, she knew. It was well and truly him. She was looking at Floki for the first time since shortly before announcing her departure from Moonspear. She flashed back to that awful, awful day for just an instant, then fast forwarded to this past summer. While in the clutches of the horrible famine, she had come to bitterly resent Floki and how he had abandoned her in her time of need. Her brain skipped ahead a few more weeks, to the day when she had hidden from Floki and Charon on the summit. Then Wildfire's amber eyes blinked and she was back in the present.

An uncharacteristic and severe scowl twisted her features, only to fade a beat later. Floki had really failed her but she had failed him too. And then everything had worked out for the best in the end, at least on her side. She was with Thuringwethil now. Wildfire swallowed and couldn't help but wonder if Floki was with someone new now too. The thought made her feel a little weird, though only for a moment. Somewhere along the way, she had finished processing all her feelings about the ill-fated Moonspear era (save, perhaps, for Goober's attack itself) and had let it all go. She hadn't even realized until this very moment.

The Bandrona had the presence of mind to turn to her companions and say, "I know him. This is Floki, an old... friend of mine." She paused awkwardly and licked her lips, then faced him again. Now was not really the time to catch up—she and her companions were a bit busy—and she wasn't sure she actually wanted to do that anyway. Floki should probably stay where he belonged: in her rear view mirror. Nonetheless, she did introduce her hunting party. "These are my pack mates, Gavriel and Freyja. We were just about to wrap up a two-day hunting expedition," she finished, giving their unexpected guest a meaningful look.

The scent of the other is lost on him for their last encounter had been brief and by scent alone, something he pushed out of his mind long ago. His need to store it to memory had been little and other things had distracted him enough to warrant it useless. How the other looks at the ground—at Wildfire, he should say—doesn’t put him at ease, and he takes a few steps forward to make his presence far more obvious. His expression doesn’t change except the hardening of his stare despite the bandrona introducing them to someone she apparently knows.

Gavriel keeps quiet and his fur bristles around his mane, keeping the gap between them the least inviting as he can manage.

The mention of the two-day hunting expedition caused Freyja to offer the stranger a sharp nod, as if to confirm that they were doing what Wildfire said. Freyja knew that at such a crucial time in their hunt that they could not afford such time dilly dallying about and needed to get a move on.

With her feathers still ruffled from Floki’s unexpected advance on the group, Freyja picked herself up high and took a step closer to the stranger. “Yes, a hunting expedition that we should be chasing right now,” she interjected, looking accusingly to the being that slowed them down.

Floki barely registered Wildfire's companions, even as they bristled and stepped forward. His attention was focused on his ex-mate; for the time being, the puppy and the adult faded into the background.

Wildfire attempted to introduce him to her hunting partners, though her explanation caused Floki's ears to splay. An old friend? Was that all he meant to her? She had been his first love -- his only love, thus far -- and yet she seemed to write him off so casually. He had never wished her harm, and in fact had only wanted to protect her from it; that was the reason he had backed off after she was attacked by Goober. And she had rewarded him by running away -- and now, it appeared, by erasing him from her life.

Bitterness welled within him and, for the first time, he glanced at the child at Wildfire's side. His gaze then strayed to the other male for a moment, before he said sharply, "Sorry to interrupt." He tried to make eye contact with Wildfire as he turned away, the hair along his spine now prickling. There was so much he wanted to say, but it was apparent that this wasn't the time or place.

Neither one of her companions reacted favorably to Floki's presence. They weren't scouts like her and, furthermore, they were in the middle of something. Wildfire certainly didn't fault them. She didn't want to linger here and socialize with him either. She said nothing as he began to turn away, though he successfully managed to capture her gaze. She thought he looked a little wounded, though his expression closed off in a way that made her think of Charon. Her ears slipped backward and though her lips parted as if she wanted to call out after him, she pressed them together again and said nothing as he presumably disappeared back into the forestry.

Trying to collect herself, the Bandrona turned back to Freyja. "Where were we?" she asked, her voice sounding only a little strained. "We were going to pick roles, right? Who do you think should go where?" she asked, clearing her throat a little. Her voice sounded steadier now as she got her head back in the game. Wildfire would definitely think about Floki despite herself, but only after the hunt and kill was behind them.

Freyja stood a little taller as the stranger turned and made his exit. She was glad that he had decided to leave as, personally, she felt that he was simply an unwanted nuisance. They had a big task before them and Freyja wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly along the way.

When a question was poised, Freyja paused for a moment to think of what would work best. “I think that you and I should chase,” she decided, turning her attention briefly to her father. “And I think we should chase them to Noni.” But, what about the matter of picking out the best deer to drive down for the kill?

“I will scout for the weakest in the pack and report back before we chase.” There was a sense of confidence about her as she looked to Wildfire and she nodded her head as if to conclude that this would be best.

The interaction between the other wolf—Floki—and Wildfire ends on a strange note. The air feels thicker, despite the other leaving, and he casts a glance back at Wildfire as she composes herself to keep moving but the strain in her throat doesn't go unnoticed. Light brown eyes narrow in thought but he shifts his gaze away as the two girls continue on. Freyja, as if nothing happened at all, begins to pick up where they left off and made an offer. However, Gavriel chuffs quietly as he moves in the direction Floki had disappeared to if only to make sure they are actually alone.

Freyja not only assigned them roles, she also volunteered to finish scoping out the herd and find them a solid target. Wildfire grinned at her. "Sounds like a plan," she said. It was tempting to fall back on her haunches while she waited, yet she remained standing. Her amber eyes followed Gavriel as he silently stalked in the direction Floki had gone—likely to make sure he was really gone and wouldn't somehow hinder their hunt further—and then flicked back to watch Freyja from a distance as she approached and assessed the herd.

This was it.

With the approval made, Freyja nodded in response. “Okay,” she replied, casting a quick glance over her shoulder to catch the fleeting sight of her father before returning her attention to Wildfire. “I’ll be back,” and with the promise made, the Feisripa turned from her mentor and in the direction that the herd had settled for the afternoon.

She stepped lightly as she carried herself, progressively lowering herself as she carried herself up the hill that separated the hunting party from their prey. Once upon the hill, she took cover in a nearby bush, just to be safe. At her current position on top of the hill, Freyja was upwind from the deer and did not want her scent to expose them all. They had traveled too far for them to fail now.

From her position, she was easily able to observe the herd. She was lowered to a crouch from within her refuge. Just as she had smelled the heard wasn’t that large. It was composed of mostly females, with a single adult buck. Freyja was thankful for this fact, but knew that the females could be just as fierce. There were two young deer as well-- one male and the other female-- that were towards the middle of the group. Freyja spent quite some time watching the group and hoping for a weakest link.

Finally, one appeared. A burly female could be seen towards the northernmost point of the group and though it was subtle, she walked with a slight limp. Brightening at this discovery, Freyja hung around for a few moments more, simply watching, before quickly slipping from her location and back to the group.

“Two children and an injured female,” she reported as she pulled up to Wildfire, her eyes gleaming. “The female is really strong looking, but she’ll be easier to catch,” and with her report offered, Freyja fell silent as the thrill of the impending hunt began to bubble from within.

Gavriel is not gone long, making sure that Floki has indeed gone about his business and out of their way. He returns before his daughter his back and he takes a few long glances to figure it out but she soon reappears before he even has time to ask Wildfire about it. Letting himself settle nearby, he listens to what information the girl has and then toward the instructor for what she has to say.

Too restless to stay in one place, Wildfire began to meander in misshapen circles as she waited for both Freyja and Gavriel to return. The latter appeared not long after leaving and she paused in her pacing to exchange a look with him. She let Floki cross her mind but only for an instant. She resumed walking back and forth, wearing a trail in the leaf litter on the forest floor and only stopping when Freyja finally reappeared at the foot of a nearby hill.

The Feisripa offered up a report. Wildfire's first instinct was to go with the safer bet: one of the youngsters. But this was Freyja's hunt. After a few seconds of deliberation, the Bandrona agreed. "She'll be our target. Good work, Frey. Now where should we position ourselves?" She looked to the youth, letting her take full responsibility for directing the master plan. Wildfire would only interrupt if she noticed any glaring issues with it.

She smiled at Wildfire’s approval, not linger too much over the other’s approval and instead moving to the next step in her thought process.She paused again, recalling the plateau that resided just beyond the hill. There were not many landmarks and instead, Freyja felt as though they were already at a disadvantage being up wind from the herd. She voiced her concerns first, before divulging the others in her plan for the hunt.

“We are upwind from them, so I feel like that is not in her favor,” she paused for a minute, frowing, as she attempted to work the plan out in her mind. “Just beyond the hill is a plateau and it doesn’t allow for much coverage, but, there are a few things we can hide behind. Noni,” she said, turning to her father with a smile. “I want you to be positioned next to the big boulder. When we are on top of the hill, it’s to the right  and a little ways off from the herd. Wildfire and I will lead the female there.” She nodded, smiling up to her father before turning to her mentor.

“We will use the shrubbery on top of the hill to hide us,” she said with a nod. “We’ll observe from there and then once we feel that it’s time, we’ll launch ourselves down the hill and towards them.” She wasn’t sure how she would take this, but, she fell silent after, confident in her plan.

When Freyja begins to lay out the plan, he can’t help the pride that spreads across his feature. His daughter learns well and when he casts a glance toward Wildfire, he forgets—for the moment—all the struggle of acceptance. For now, he can set it aside, and as he turns back to Freyja as she continues, he nods his head when he is called and given a job. Once she falls silent, Gavriel becomes a follower as he had been before, and moves with the two once they are given the go ahead.

There were no red flags in Freyja's strategy, though Wildfire took a moment to visualize everything in consideration with their surroundings seen and unseen. When she deduced that it was as good an approach as any—especially considering the pup's relative lack of experience—she shot yet another smile in the Feisripa's direction and nodded again as well.

"I'm ready whenever you two are," she said, muscles coiling with anticipatory tension. They had spent literally days tracking the herd, narrowing down their target pool and then formulating a plan. Now everything was about to culminate and Wildfire couldn't wait to see through the hunt on Freyja's behalf.

When it seemed apparent that her hunting partners were ready, Freyja nodded and turned to them with a nod. “Let’s do this,” she said through a determined smile. Without another word, the child turned to stalk towards the hill. She did not look back to see whether or not Wildfire was following and, instead, quietly lead the way. Once she had settled, and Wildfire joined her side, the hunt began.

It all happened in a flash-- from the initial dismount from their hill-side sanctuary to the final blow which had been delivered by Freyja. A flurry of claws, fur, and hooves occurred. Wildfire did her best in helping Freyja drive away the deer that had been selected as they prey and soon enough the pair drove it to Gavriel. The Gona was quick to strike it down and with Wildfire’s help, the pair made sure that Freyja was able to make the final blow.

After they had all taken their fill, the trio worked on breaking down the body so that they could carry the rest home for both themselves and for the pack’s cache.