Kintla Flatlands The voices inside my head, I hate them.

No problemo, amigo. I'm in the middle of a near sixty hour work week right now and my schedule's getting ready to invert from closing to opening after tomorrow. @__x Good luck with your finals!

It pleased him to know that he wouldn't be hunting alone. Even in light of the strange behavior he found the other male possessing. It didn't mean that Mordecai was just going to turn his back so readily either, as a certain kind of leeriness lingered in his thoughts. Still, he waited for Kaname to join him before he started off again and led them across the verdant plain. They were barely in a few steps before Mordecai had drawn his muzzle downward to pick finely over the scents that crisscrossed in their steps; the only time he rose it was to answer the introduction that followed at his heels.

“I'm Mordecai,” he told him with a glance back. “I'm glad you were willing to join me. I'm pretty sure I spotted some prey bedded down through here a few days ago. Maybe it's still around.” At least he certainly hoped it was still around. There was no telling if the arguing that had came from Kaname had scared them off, but he figured once they were out far enough, something would crop up. A quail, a flighty weasel, it didn't matter. Food was simply food. “We should spread out a little bit and cover more ground. If you scare up something, try and send it my way and maybe we can get a hold of it.”

Ooo. Good luck. That sounds harsh. ): Thanks.

Kaname mirrored Mordecai's movements, scanning the area for prey. The loner had a simple plan for flushing out prey, but an effective one nonetheless. He began moving in a different direction than him in the hopes of finding prey nearby. He doubted either of them would find something big like a deer, but most likely something big enough for Mordecai to eat that would sustain him, like a pheasant, a rabbit, some type of small prey. "And if you find something, send it towards me." He said before pouncing into the lashing tails of green.

It was at first but I've had to do it enough times that now I'm able to deal with it. Was kinda weird going to sleep well before I'm usually off work, though. :P Also, I have no idea what on earth they should find, so I figured I'd leave that option up to you!

With a nod to Kaname's words as he split and disappeared into the brush, Mordecai focused on the task at hand. There were plenty of scents to be found lingering, the matter was just separating them from each other. He zigged and then zagged a little, particularly believing he was hot on the trail of something for a moment, but it faded almost as quickly as he had picked it up. Which was disappointing, especially when it just seemed to go into thin air. But the pair of wolves weren't the only ones hunting in such a place, and he never would have imagined that what he had been following had turned into some feathery hunter's prey.

Turning back from the parted path he had come down, Mordecai ventured off once again into the depths of the grassy hunting grounds. It was down another path that he veered when something caught his eye. A bark of surprise punctuated his find as he bolted after it, not even quite realizing what he was chasing yet other than the fact that it was smaller and already running the moment he spotted it. Knowing that Kaname was somewhere behind him once again, he made every effort he could to turn it back towards the area he had last seen the dark-haired wolf go, hoping he could steer it in the right direction.

Maybe a quail or some ground bird?

Kaname dashed off into the undergrowth, flushing the grass for prey. The grasslands were filled with a myriad of scents, some growing strong, others fading, some stale, others fresh. He trailed after the strong and fresh ones until they faded and went stale. Some disappeared entirely. But he kept on searching. There would be prey somewhere.

He kept his nose to the ground and his ears perked for a sound nearby. His diligence was rewarded with a bark from Mordecai, followed by a rush of energy. Sensing that the loner found something, he ran towards the sounds, hoping that the tawny wolf would drive it towards him.

I like the idea of it being a quail! :3

It wasn't too long before Mordecai caught a glimpse of Kaname. It lasted a second, replaced then by the flash of green terrain, and then his attention shifted entirely back to the prey at hand. He thought maybe there were some tail feathers to be had, but the damned creature had managed to stay a couple of steps ahead of the ruckus left in his wake. It sped one way and he followed, doubled back on another before bolting in another direction altogether. It would not be easily caught, which added to the irritation in the Ostrega that pursued it.

Growling bitterly as he hopped through a thick patch of too tall grass, Mordecai found that his plan of telling it where to go wasn't exactly going to plan as he had hoped. Instead it was telling them all where they could go, and probably where they could stick their hungry teeth too. But the chase was really half of the fun, and beneath his now aggravated exterior, Mordecai was loving every moment of it. His only hope now was that they could tire it, lest it got away.

A flash of fur went by, Kaname only half recognizing it as Mordecai before turning. He ran parallel to the loner, trying to identify the prey the tawny wolf was chasing. The prey squawked in fear as it turned, trying to evade the one, now two wolves. A feather flew by his eyes, giving him a quick indication of what he was chasing. Quail.

Snorting, he ran on an angle of the prey, trying to turn it. Mordecai was not having as much success alone, so now Kaname deemed it a good enough time to help the loner in catching that damned bird.

Sorry about the wait, work consumed me. :C

At the first moment he could, Mordecai lunged for the speeding prey, that time himself figuring out what they were after. The quail, in all its glory, made much more noise when it realized just how close either wolf came to capturing it, but the sound died away just as quickly as it came. Its mind was focused on one thing, and that was getting away and surviving to see another day. Mordecai snapped after its tail feathers, not quite getting any real purchase on the prey as he barreled through the underbrush without case. He didn't fear anything unpleasant nailing him in the head, though the odds of that happening were about as likely as any.

He knew the bird would begin to tire soon.

It's alright, it seems like everyone is busy nowadays. :)

Kaname ran as quickly as he could without tiring himself out. Birds were quick, sometimes they felt quicker than deer or rabbits. Plus, they could fly or flutter into the air to gain ground, like quails did. It was only a matter of time until the bird fatigued.

Mordecai seemed to follow his method, but snapped at the bird's tail feathers to frighten it a bit more. Smirking, he closed in, snapping at the bird's left wing. If he could cause it to panic before it tires, the bird might stumble, giving one of them the chance to pounce on it.

It seems so! But, summer's good for lots of stuff. Also figured we should push this towards a close... and maybe have an updated thread? I figure Kaname would have spotted Mordecai at the meeting Jinx held. :D

They pursued and pursued that quail for what began to feel like an eternity. Mordecai felt himself wanting to tire out after a few minutes. Not that he wasn't cut out for chasing down something, but the bird was beginning to seem like more trouble than it was worth. He and Kaname both had snapped after it time and time again, and it evaded only by minuscule proportions.

But then the time came when the bird did in fact falter, and Mordecai threw himself at it with more gusto than he expected. Seizing the bird between his powerful jaws, he rolled across the thick grass with no grace at all, rising just as quickly back to his feet to violently shake the quail to its end. It came quick; the sound of pain and fading tension turned to silence and the bird went limp.

It was then that he found himself spying out his hunting companion through the foliage, a quick nod to show that the job was done. The wandering Ostrega was thankful for the help, and dropped the prey at his feet to nudge it towards Kaname, willing to share what there was of the meal with the strange Silvertip wolf.

Yeah we should end this one soon. Maybe we could do one in the new territory?

As Kaname predicted, the quail soon stumbled, and Mordecai pounced. Kaname stopped the chase then, panting as the tawny wolf shook the bird, breaking its fragile neck. He sat on his haunches as he caught his breath. He nodded back to Mordecai in acknowledgement. So it is done. The loner placed the quail in his jaws and brought it over to the dark wolf, who shook his head.

"No, that's all for you." he said, yawning. Look at you being chivalrious... Itzal hissed. Kaname paid him no mind, but he really wanted to growl back at the voice. So what if he was being nice for once?

Agreed. Since they're both going for Gamekeeper, maybe they could team up again and hunt or track some stuff? I figure it might be good for them to take stock of what's around. Care to start the next thread, or would you like me to?

Though he didn't show it, it pleased him just as well to have the quail all to himself. It had been quite some time since Mordecai had found an intact meal, and he would not squander the option of having it all for himself. Still, he wordlessly gave Kaname a look as though to suggest are you sure? When it seemed that things were in fact certain, Mordecai followed up with a wag of his tail.

“Thanks for the assist. I appreciate it.” And with that, he gathered up the quail once again, and took his leave from the raven-haired fellow to seek somewhere a little less open to chow down on the tender, still-warm meal. The discomfort of their meeting aside, Mordecai had almost forgotten the leeriness that had possessed him as he ventured on. Perhaps Kaname wasn't nearly as off as he had seemed, he decided.

I'll start it, but I wanted to invite Cara as well.

"You're welcome." The tawny wolf took the quail happily, and with a wag of his tail, the loner was off. Kaname sighed, feeling a lot better than he did when the conversation began. The dark brown wolf watched the loner depart, before turning towards the Silvertip Mountain and heading home.