Ghost Lion Crag Searching for food
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Ooc — Sarah
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#1
All Welcome 
Clock had headed up toward the crag in search of food. It was not a place a wolf would want to settle for any long period of time, but the small pika that lived at the higher altitudes did not have many predators and were thus vulnerable. Seemingly oblivous to danger, they would call to one another with their shrill whistle sounds all day. The only problem was getting to them. They hid in vast tunnels under the broken rocks of the crags. Clock had waited very patiently at an opening between two sharp rocks where he could hear a pika underneath. The creature had finally come out and Clock had snapped it up just in the nick of time. It had nearly slipped between his jaws, too, but being on the verge of starving gave him an edge of desperation that the good Gods heeded.

After snapping down the pika in one whole bite, Clock licked his lips over a few times and then set his eyes back on the rocks. He was going to need to eat a lot more of these before he could even think about what he was going to do next. In the back of his mind, he had the notion that he was going to find the old pack he had been pledged to - Tindome. He only had a vague idea of where they had gone, though, and he found himself starting to feel desperate. The winter had been long and harsh, and the weather was only now getting to the point where he could travel. He had been getting steadily thinner. At least he was young and his body could handle the abuse of not having proper nutrition for long periods of time.

Giving a frustrated shake of his head, Clock resumed his roaming around the rocks, listening for the pika to start their calling again. He had a feeling he was going to be up here all day.
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#2
The aspiring huntsman had ever watchful eyes when it came to the craft of hunting rodents, their ability to slip from your very jaws proving to be an enjoyable challenge. He had failed himself when trying to capture one, having slipped and fallen on a loose rock further up the peak. So when he spotted the scrawny loner clasp one between his teeth, it was fair to say there was a bit of jealousy bubbling beneath the surface. Koji had to wonder if it was skill, luck, or simple desperation that had favored the pale man today, but he supposed in the end it didn’t really matter anyway.

“Oi” he hollered over the gust of wind that swept by, fur tangling in knots as he moved a few feet closer towards the rogue. “Ya know, two mouths are better than one” he said while taking a step, shit-eating grin spread wide across his maw. “And there are some sheep around here somewhere” he finally announced while glancing around as if they were just beyond his line of sight. “Wanna hunt ‘em with me?”
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#3
Clock was focused on another chink in the rocks where he could hear a pika squeaking innocently, and so he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard another wolf call to him. He was sure he had been the only one up here! Whipping his head around to stare at the darker wolf, he felt his lungs expand and his blood rush to his head and extremities - ready for a fight. He started to bare his teeth when the younger wolf approached, but then realized the other was inviting him on a hunt. He stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do and certainly not sure if he could trust that wide, clown-like grin on the stranger's face. "Like a killer clown," he thought to himself, his body poised to flee.

At the mention of sheep, Clock looked dubiously in the directed the other wolf was staring. He had not seen any sheep so far today, but he hadn't exactly been looking for larger prey. It would be a waste of energy for one lone wolf to try to take down anything larger than a beaver.

Realizing that he might as well take whatever help he could get, he abandoned the squeaking pika (who had miraculously quieted when the wolves started conversing - maybe the little creatures weren't so dumb afterall.) and turned to fully face the other wolf. Although his body relaxed, he continued to eye the other uncertainly. "Okay, lets hunt," he agreed. If there were indeed sheep, and if they were indeed successful at catching one, then Clock could probably regain enough strength to make a long journey east in search of a pack.
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#4
Koji wasn’t one to easily pick up on any signs of unfriendliness because he figured everyone wanted to be his friend and, I mean let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to hang out with this handsome hunk of sarcasm and sass everyday? No? Well anyways, if he did notice any uneasiness he just outright ignored it, not having the patience to tip toe his way towards get a hunting partner. “That’s the spirit” he exclaimed loudly, smile morphing into something more visually appealing. 

He turned towards the direction he’d last seen the sheep bucking away at and offered only a single glance behind him before heading off in search of his prey. “Last I saw, they were over this way” he shared, figuring it might be some semi-useful information to know. After waiting a moment to hear if there would be any response, he dropped his head and let his nose run widely over the cool earth, determined to find a trail that led him towards a good meal. 
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#5
With only a moment's hesitation, Clock followed. He had nothing to lose at this point, and the other wolf seemed friendly enough. Clock supposed he had just been caught off guard by the stranger's dark, tangled fur and overly confident smile. He followed swiftly along the rocky hillside, his ears pricking ahead eagerly and his apprehension leaving him at this other wolf's bouyant personality. He noticed the other did not look back even once to see if he was following. :Either he's confident I'm following, or he doesn't care,: he mused to himself. Either way, they were rather attractive qualities.

He nodded to himself when the other spoke, his eyes scanning the hillside for any sign. "We should proceed quietly then," he cautioned. He then distanced himself about 10 feet from the other and also put his nose to the ground, following the other at a parallel and sniffing in a loose zig-zag fashion. If there were any sheep around, they would pick up on them soon.

They scouted for a while, the cold wind gusting harshly at times. Then Clock came across some fairly fresh droppings.

:Sheep.:

He whined softly to get the other wolf's attention and sat down by the droppings, wiggling his shoulders a little in excitement as he raised his head proudly. We're on the right track, his body said. He then stood back up and slinked forward, keeping his light grey body near the rocks to disguise himself. Ahead, the hill slanted steeply to the right and many more large rocks were exposed at the juncture which could, theoretically, be concealing a herd of sheep.
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He split away from his peppered companion, leaving a reasonable size chunk of land between them while they scoured the mountainside for any sign of the sheep he had spoken of. They roamed for some time and just when Koji was about to suggest they double-back, the soft whine of his hunting partner immediately drew his attention to the relatively fresh droppings scattered amongst the floor. His tail wiggled excitedly behind him for the first few seconds after the discovery had been made, but he was quick to slip back into hunting mode and continued to press forward with his stomach close to the floor.

He cautiously approached the rocks, heart thumping in his chest out of anticipation. But before he even had a chance to see with his own eyes if a herd did actually lie behind the stones, a gust of wind spoiled the thrill and he slouched out of disappointment. He continued to creep forward until he was able to peek above the rocks, a pair of charcoal ears sticking out amongst the gray background. He slunk back down after counting around a dozen sheep and looked to his partner for any suggestions on how to go about securing themselves a meal. 
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#7
Nearby, and also concealed behind the rocks, Clock was making the same observations of the small herd of sheep. He could hardly believe how fortunate he was to have found another wolf to hunt with, and this stranger looked like he could run fast. They would have to use skill, though, and the first task would be to isolate one of the weaker ones.

Clock was unique in that he was actually born in captivity and then rehabilitated into the wild. The upside of such an unusual puphood was that he and his siblings were provided as many herds of prey animals as they needed until they got good enough at hunting to assure the humans running the rehabilitation program that they would be able to survive in the wild. Clock thought he and his companion had a pretty good chance at snagging a sheep today. The one thing that would be a challenge, for Clock at least, was the terrain. The sheep would be well adept at navigating the steep rocky hillside, but Clock was not. :Oh well, I guess I will learn,: he thought to himself.

The other wolf caught his eye and Clock moved in close to speak in a hushed tone. "Two of them near the back of the herd look weak to me," he explained. "I think we should break them away from the herd. If you could chase one for a while to tire it out, and then swing it back toward me, I can go in for the kill." Although he didn't want to say anything outloud, Clock was a bit concerned he wouldn't have enough strength for a high energy kill. He had spent the winter on his own and his normally strong body was thin and lank-looking. The sheep weren't very big, though, and he was confident he could take one down on his own as long as it was tired and weakened first. He hoped the darker wolf would be fine with running it.
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#8
Koji too was inexperienced when it came to hunting on the cliffs, clearly evident by his miserable failure earlier. But he believed Clock had what it took to help him gain a meal, especially since the scrawny make had managed to successfully capture one of the pika’s just minutes ago. “Got it” he agreed in a whisper, giving a single nod towards his peppered companion before slipping away to begin the task given to him. 

He stuck downwind of the oblivious herd, moving amongst the sprawled foliage to conceal himself. Once he reached his destination, a spot he felt was best for the ambush, he glanced over towards his partner and waited for some form of conformation that Clock was ready on his end. Should he receive said conformation, Koji would wait until one of the weakened sheep turned away and then, like a bullet fired from a gun, he’d take off towards his chosen target. 
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#9
Clock followed behind the other wolf but hung back when the darker male drew nearer to the group of sheep. While Koji zeroed in on the targets, Clock tucked himself amongst some rocks, pleased to find that his pale coat flecked with blacks and greys provided excellent camouflage. He was now all-seriousness; in hunting mode. From his position, he watched intently as his hunting partner slowly and carefully circled around the herd to where the weaker ones were grazing and then stop - ready to charge. As the other wolf's eyes met his copper ones, seeking agreement, Clock felt a surge of adrenaline and gave a curt nod. He sprang forward from the rocks as the dark wolf took off at the smaller sheep, unable to hold still even though his energy was not yet needed.

The group of sheep immediately scattered in all directions with Koji as the focal point. A few of them jumped over the others in an effort to get away more quickly, wild-eyed and bleating all the while. Clock moved in at a trot that escalated to a run, looking for the small brown blur amongst the frenzied white creatures while also trying not to trip over any of the rocks. He hoped the other wolf had been successful in the first step of executing their plan. If so, Clock needed to be ready to have their prey driven right toward him.