Two Rivers Isle if i killed someone for you
I once saw the end of my life.
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#1
All Welcome 
AW hunting thread (4/5) [Image: gamekeeper.gif]

She had crossed the river quickly, eager to keep moving and avoid soaking in the shivering waters - the ice queen was not extremely adapt at dealing with roads of liquid, but even she was aware that to let the water seep into her pelt in the frigid wind would be a dangerous, foolish idea; so she didn't linger. 

The sky was a dull, pale haze of grey when she emerged on the island, blackened nose pressed toward the earth and lips parted to inhale the scents of the wildlife. Winter was bitter and harsh, so she had busied herself with the task of providing the keep with plenty of prey, glad for a reason to stretch her muscles and heighten her body temperature - so too was she pleased to have a coat so thick, a plush pelage of white as stark as the snow lacing the isle's ground. It proided her with enough warmth, and aided in masking her presence from any lingering creatures.

With any hope, she'd not return home empty handed.
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He tagged along with her, an entire New Moon to a Full one. He kept his distance however, not wanting to accidentally jostle his Empress, but who’d he come to kid? None of his actions around her were accidental. And as careful as he was, it was multiplied immensely when he was in any distance to the Eruna. Another occasion of hunting, which he gladly declared his aid for, and the Assassin was off, a shadow to the nova he gave lead of the hunt to.

Carribou flocked to their forest as of recently, and to allow them some additional time to enjoy their stay until they got ‘too’ comfortable, they began their hunt further out. As he had humbly pointed out to the artic beauty, Cry had mentioned a couple of elk he had scouted ahead. Quickly he had noted one of the pair were in terrible pain, and made sure to alert Gwen to the potential hazard, but the graceful fae was unafraid. Cautious, but wise in this adventure. 
So as both supervision and assistance, this was why he was here. 

Well that, and he couldn’t exactly get enough of her. 

Snapping his his head back into the hunt before it waddled off to daydream again, his low baritones skipped across the crisp grass to the aud of his Cherished. “Last I saw, the two were resting here last night - they can’t have gone far.” His snout pointed to the thicker claps of timbers ahead, shielded by a blanket light snow and frost. 
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#3
*waves* tags for reference @Minori @Takara @Revui

while the group settled by alpine lake, issun went on a searching spree. food, recruits, and that woodland. they were close, he could feel it. the lake they stayed at was very familiar. all he needed to do was retrace his steps and then they could finally settle.

the warrior was drawn back to the river he had just visited a few days prior. the island was plentiful, he was bound to find something for his group there. he kept his nose to the ground, analyzing the smells around him. his ears pricked when he caught wind of a couple wolves that had passed by not too long ago. curious, he followed their scent. it wasn’t long before he caught up and he had arrived just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. he chuffed to get their attention and his tail lazily swayed back and forth to show he was no threat.
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#4
Silent assurance.

That was what her shadow king brought her, in the quietude of the morning; they did not share many words, but it was uneeded - his presence alone was enough to soothe whatever nerves prickled at her spine, or drive away the memories that would whisper in her ears, and she was grateful for the company. The Eruna cast him a soft smile as he came closer to utter a statement about the elk, and immediately adjusted herself to seek out their scent, rather than traipse about for any rabbits or mice shifting about in their burrows; the larger the prey, the more they could provide for, or the longer it would last.

But they were not alone -- a stranger draped in grey made himself known, and eyes of dark cerulean tipped in his direction, soft ears cupping forward to listen to his greeting. "Hello," the empress gave a small nod and inclined her head in silent question, an invitation for him to give his name so that perhaps she might give hers in turn. As an afterthought, she opted to let a question hang in the bitter air, a proposal perhaps if it interested him... "Are you hunting?" After it had left her lips, Gwen quickly cast a glance in Cry's direction, wondering if he was thinking the same as herself - though it could be risky to put your trust in another, the more sets of jaws they had, the easier the kill would be to make.
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Cry had heard Issun prior to the approach, ears travelling and translating weight, gait, and pace as he kept his eyes on Gwen while she hunted for the trail again. However, once the unknown joiner came close enough to cause concern, the Assassin was forced to pull his vision from his Keyholder, and follow the path his auds directed him to. Body halted as he processed this new face, body, and position of the Arriven.

A body of charred slate, heightened and toughened by battle and wit alike. The Guardian noticed the chopped tail, a banner that wove a careful but friendly flag of harmed-but-harmless image. The pelt has been well groomed, grown full to face the winter, but it showed aplenty of hardships this brute had come across. Cry knew scars well; he had a patchwork of crisscross scars reflecting his own survival against his own past glinting through the ebony hide in coal colored tissue. He knew them, they were a language he spoke, and he read exactly how this newcomer handled themself in battle. 
Well.

Glacial irises scanted across the rest of this wolf until they landed over an alert face, a chiseled and healthy male who’s silver gems were only just tinted a fresh verde. It was nearly imperceptible, but with the instinct to memorize every ounce of every potential target, it was a gift Cry was both blessed and cursed with. Once he got Issun’s name, he would be sealed in the dark titan’s memory for all eternity.

Remaining where he was, Cry kept himself casual but aware, his own midnight flag flacid until it was appropriate to wave it back. It was only appropriate when Gwen decided to speak to the joining lupine that he did so. Athletic and honed body stayed still, patient, letting calm consume him. He would let his Empress talk to whoever this was. She would be the voice, while he would be the muscle, should the gentle fae need it.

He returned her glance, his own gaze reading into hers. While he trusted her with his own life, he didn’t know who this individual was, nor their skill in hunting. Was this something they should be doing? Logic cascaded his worry into easily sortable stations and folders, the most recognizable and relatable one being how much wolfpower and strategy it took to even take down a wounded elk. They would need this guy to make this easier for themselves, and more successful. So he did not protest as she discerned him.
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the two seemed nice enough; they didn’t seem agitated by his presence. a good start. when the pale one offered a greeting he nodded his own. “i’m issun.” the woman followed up with a question. “for my group, yes.” he looked at the couple with a hopeful gleam in his eye. “maybe we can help each other out? we can split the spoils.” although he’d feel much more comfortable hunting with wolves he knew, the group was pretty far. he’d have a long wait ahead of him if he called them. why not make the most of this opportunity?
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Issun gave his name and so the snowbird let a soft smile grace her features, giving her own in response - "Gwen," leaving room for Cry to give his own, too, if he thought it necessary. The snow-dusted male mentioned a group of his own, and the Eruna's features smoothed a touch further; winter was harsh, and though they had to gather enough food to maintain their own family, she had no desire to push another group into dispair. They could split the spoils, she was sure... Gwen would feel terribly guilty to take the meal for themselves, and spare none for others who needed it.

Besides, it would be easier to bring down elk with another wolf, an extra set of paws and jaws - with any hope, they'd come back with something to show. The empress passed another fleeting glance to the midnight assassin, idly chewing on the pink flesh of her cheek before coming to a conclusion and hoping Cry would agree: "I'm sure you can join us, then," Perhaps she could learn a little more about his group, too - not for any malicious intent, but Issun did not say pack, so she assumed they had yet to settle, or were simply a travelling group. It would be intruiging to find out who their potential neighbours might be (aside from the redhawks). 

With another brief nod of her head, the ivory tipped her nose to the ground and continued to follow the trail, assuming Issun and Cry would not be far behind - the scent was growing stronger, and she doubted it would be long before the elk emerged into their vision.
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The judgement had been subtly delivered. This ‘Issun’ had become a helping paw to the situation ahead. Cry was fine with that. And if she felt fine enough to give up her name to this stranger, so would he. “Cry.” The alias left his dark lips abrupt and far from the gentle breeze of Gwen’s own name. But it was all he had to give.

An understanding nod from Cry solidified the interaction he had with Issun, and he punctuated it with “Good to have you, Issun.” Afterwards he turned to follow Gwen, who was back to searching for the wounded Elk. 

“Be on the lookout for an Elk about a year and a half old, tufted left flank and balding on the right shoulder. Has a twisted back leg.”
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he was pleased that they were all in general agreement. this would be very beneficial for all of them. “and to you as well,” he nodded to cry. issun waited for the two before taking the up rear.

the prospect of having elk made his mouth water. the group had no time for luxuries; they only had time to eat things that kept them going. usually hares or the occasional fowl. it had been awhile since they had something big.
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#10
Together they followed the trail, in mostly silence, but Gwen believed they were still far enough away for quiet words to go unnoticed by the elk who wandered - "Issun, is your group intending to settle in the Hinterlands?" Oceanic eyes sparkled with curiousity, voicing her earlier thought; it would be wise to get a feel for who they may share hunting grounds with, though the empress was already aware of the redhawks, who were almost uncomfortably close - further south, but the isle lay between them, and she hoped it would be enough for them not to step on each other's tails.

They walked for a little while longer, but at last the scents grew stronger and the snowbird dropped herself down, lips parting to taste the wind and locate the elk who rested in their presence - at last she found them, a little distance away, grazing on grass and other vegetation that had survived the winter chill. There it was: the younger elk, with the twisted back leg and patch of skin where the fur was missing. Gwen had not felt the thrill of a large hunt for some time, and already excitement coursed through her veins as she observed. "We ought to seperate the wounded elk from the other," she murmered, watching the pair intently, "Perhaps two of us should focus on splitting them up, and whoever is left can wait in the undergrowth - the ones who split the pair up could loop back around and chase it toward the wolf who's waiting so we have it surrounded? Unless either of you know a better way to go about it," Gwen peered at them, eager to hear their thoughts; it had been so long since she planned to bring down large prey; perhaps voicing her ideas would prompt Issun and Cry to give their own ideas in turn, if they had any, and they could form a solid plan.
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Not to contest his Love, but Cry had a completely opposite idea. 

“I think it might be a bit better to possibly keep them together,” he worded. 

Knowing it it would sound foolish to leave it at that, the Assassin explained his point. “Logically, the elk will be will try to keep up with one another, but the hinderance of the wounded will force the healthy to simply abandon its partner for fear of its own risk; the wounded will have exerted itself enough, and given its injury, might hurt itself further for us.” 

Turning to look between both both of the hunt partners, he concluded with “This way it will reduce the risk of the healthy one lashing out at us to defend itself - it will be too focused on trying to divide its focus...between both itself, and its partner.”

The only downfall for them would be how long these elk would be running for; truly that depended on the wound’s severity. But he was trying to ensure the elk would hurt itself in its desperation rather than his partners.
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#12
wooo 500 posts!

the prolonged silence was broken by a question. “that’s the plan,” he hummed, “we’ve been looking for a specific place i’ve visited awhile ago. it shouldn’t be too far from here.” for a second he wondered if the two would be interested in joining them. they had made a good impression and they needed the numbers. it all depended on their skill and now was a perfect time to see it.

once the fresh scent of prey grew overwhelming, issun lowered his body to the ground and quietly moved to the side. he listened to gwen’s plan and nodded. when cry suggested to keep them together he raised a brow, but as he went on it made more sense. “i like cry’s plan,” he whispered, “i’d hate if one of us got hit in the face.
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#13
congrats <3

She was not overly disgruntled by the contrasting plan voiced, and instead welcomed it - she was fully aware that her lack of hunting large prey had had an effect on her abilities and ideas when it came to planning; it felt good to let someone else take the lead for a while (besides, Issun seemed to agree with him), presenting new thoughts. The empress gave a swift nod, humming in thought: "You're right," She concluded, though perhaps that was a silly thing to say: he was always right. "Okay, we'll keep them together."

She assumed he would take the lead (maybe her assumption was wrong, but she allowed him the opportunity, since he'd chosen to present his plan), and her attention returned momentarily to where the elk grazed, focused on their movements.
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He was more or less surprised that the decision had gone so effortlessly. His mind replayed how often he had walked away from squabbling between decisions by packmates and leaders alike. And the worst part was how trivial the back&forths were. But this, something that their existence hinged on, was taken, considerately, and dealt in less than a minute. That was how teamwork was meant to be.

A nod to both lupines while Gwen’s ended on a bit of a grateful smile sealed the swift poll as he too followed Issun’s body language and hunkered down. Facing the pair of beasts, Cry mentioned something else to Gwen, his mind already concocting another ledge for them to hoist upon. 

“Gwen,” the name still held something more than a friendly note in his voice, but he didn’t stay upon the romance for as long as he usually did. To ensure his mind stayed entact for this hunt, he kept them focused on the pair of foraging elk. “If you could take on spooking them, me and Issun can follow through with running them down with you. Your coat will help you get closer to them than ours will, and the harder the spook, the more the panic.”

Cry viewed this entire hunt as a math problem, or some kind of equation that had easy answers, should the team reach hard and high enough for them. But unlike equations, there were certain factors that could be thrown in and ruin the end result. In their panic, the Elk could attempt trampling Gwen - this was why he and Issun needed to be ready to throw black fur and fangs forward once the elk receive that jumps are.

The timing and precision were key to the survival of not only Gwen, but all of them.

Should she take lead of the spooky one, Cry would creep over to her left flank, edging further and further with and near that he would be a leap away once the Elk stirred. If she hadn’t, he would venture forth, lowering even more to the frigid floor, and pace according to notice.
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skipping issun w/permission <3

Plush ears twitched back toward the void, allowed his voice to sweep through her mind and breathe life to her muscles - the hunt would begin with only a moment left to wait, and she could feel the anticipation creep at her toes. A single, swift nod was suitable enough for her answer, and then she prepared to spring; she waited only for the other two wolves to ready themselves, and for the elk to graze idly on whatever had survived the casing of snow.

The empress took great comfort in the presence of Cry at her side, and slunk carefully through the undergrowth, beginning to edge closer and closer to the nonchalant prey - they shifted their ears, and waved stubby tails, but the wind was in the wolves favour, and they were currently unaware of the hunters sneaking forward.

When at last she drew as near as she could, the ivory woman halted her steps, a single goal in her mind as the countless possibilities flooded her skull: spook the elk. She left a few heartbeats to ensure all was ready, and then released a sharp bark from between her blackened lips, darting from the shadows - it was sudden enough to cause a spear of panic to shred through the prey's peace, and she prayed silently all went to plan.
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And there he was, right there with her, terrible gaze flashing between both elk as the plan was set in motion. He was dearly hoping Issun was paying as much attention as they were, but he knew the charcoal mate had to be - everybody wanted their share of shank. Thrusting himself forward with a tremendous scour of energy, snaps and growls surged forth to rush even more panic. He was a blur, shadow bleeding over the white ground as he strove forward. Every chance the the Elk tried to give eachother room, another chorus of snarls and snaps forced his side back the the initial constrictive space.

There was no evading him, and once the wounded would stumble, the Ghost would be the first upon it. So he would have to be extra vigilant to ensure she stayed a pace back to avoid any potential kicks, but close enough to confirm the prey couldn't turn back.She was keeping a remarkable tandem however, so he wans't too worried about his Queen. For as delicate and dainty as she seemed, she knew how to hold her own in the aspect of a hunt.
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sorry for the hold up!
the three quickly agreed on a plan. gwen would frighten them and cry and himself would run after them. simple enough, now this all just needed to go as planned.

while the pair went one way, issun took to the right side in case of any wanderers. excitement boiled his blood. it had been a long time since he’d been on a good hunt and the prospect of spoils made it all the more tantalizing.

once gwen sent the elk in a frenzy, issun leaped from his hiding place and kept a steady pace. each time one would try to split from the group, he’d put it back into place with a couple snaps to the air.
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no worries <3

The sharp tone of her bark had done its job, sending a wave of panic through the elk and causing them to snap into motion - from there, Issun and Cry took lead, blurs of grey and black darting across the snow in pursuit. The empress was quick to follow, snapping her jaws but hopping back if one leg would kick out toward her; she moved with the flow of her instincts, following what came natural while keeping the plan stuck like glue into her head. The idea was simple enough, but plenty of things could go wrong: it was a game both of chance, and of skill.

The trio moved almost as one, all focused to their tasks and leaning on one another with the same goal in mind - bring down the elk. When they drew closer still, the dove saw an opportunity, and quickly let slip a short, milder bark to announce her movements to the others, who could adjust as necessary - then, she darted forward and let her jaws snap shut around the already wounded leg, only releasing when the healthy one drew closer in a last, frantic attempt to shoo the wolves away and defend. With the injury's damage furthered, it wouldn't take too much longer for the creature to give up and leave the other to save themself.
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you good hun!

Cry kept pace with the elk and moved up both besides, and soon, ahead of the pale queen. He kept the elk flanked, exhausting himself in bursts and keeping his breath even. Each snap and snarl was saved for a passed breath so his lungs would have enough to sustain themselves. He was keeping the tempo going to try and help himself to extend his endurance, and mind focused, he zoned out so his body could run on autopilot. He remained aware, but the Phantom was going with the works until he was mentally pulled from the drift. There was no reason why this shouldn't work, he kept teling himself. It was all going how it should - and dearly for his Gwen, it had better keep this way. 


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Skipping issun with permission <3 Trying to throw up an ending, lemme know if you wanted to add an extra post on

She felt the thrill of the hunt deep in her bones, burts of adrenaline pumping her body forward - three individuals, linked together with one single desire: survive. If they were to succeed, this meal would provide nutrients not only to this group, but they could split what remained and keep their own packs fed, healthy.

It took only a short time before the wounded elk began to struggle beyond help, and plunged into the snow after stumbling away from the wolves' snapping jaws - blood seeped into the ivory snow, staining it a deep crimson, and the empress dove closer to finish the kill, should nobody else move to do it for themselves; then, when all had ceased, she touched her nose to the prey's shoulder and thanked the spirit for giving its life up to the hunters.

It was over, and they'd come out successful. Now, they'd eat their fill before splitting the carcass and stealing it off into their own domains - Gwen was greatly pleased, and she hoped that Issun and Cry were just so.
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