animal smells and porcupine quills

@Mordecai

sitri woke as dawn lit up the sky with vibrant colors of pinks and red hue. Lifting red eyes towards the sky he studied it rain would be coming in soon, but they could get a little bit of tracking done. He sniffed at the air, filling the slight spray already in the air, waiting for the heavens to open and for the tears to come pouring down. His father had told him once when he was so very small that when the skies leaked out the tears, it was all the angels that were taken up there. They were weeping for him and his, and the plight they were in. His father as he thought back on it, had been a good man in a bad place and for a moment he felt guilty. What his father must of thought of him, becoming what he was a monster. A puppet and the queen his puppet master. how his father's heart must have ached, but he had never told him. All Sitri had ever seen was love in his father's eyes, and he had never had love again, and he did not search for it...it always caused death in it's wake. No one could love Sitri he ended up killing them somehow it was an unwritten death warrant.

he howled once for Mordecai and then he waited sniffing the ground nearest to him. a few scents he recognized others he did not and he wanted to pursue those first to find out what they were dealing with. He wondered if they were big game or small game or inbetween game, and if Mordecai would know what he did not

Sitri's call roused him from his sleep. Had it been from someone beneath him, he may have brushed it off until he had been found. But he thought better of the few that stood above him in the hierarchy. His rising may have been not quite as quick as he would have liked it, but he was soon on his way to find the scarred Gamma. Pausing only to relieve himself once and to stretch on another, he still thought he made good time. He had been taught that punctuality was important, and it was rare for him not to make good on his time.

Beneath the dark green canopies of the Spine, he spotted the earthen, shaggy coat that belonged to none other than his once mountainside viewing partner. He smiled easily at Sitri, and the wave of his tail only backed up the genuine enjoyment that they were able to meet again. “Decided to take me up on that offer of exploring a bit?” he guessed, though at that point he was game for anything. The day was young, and neither of them would let it go to waste.

Sitri had not realized that most would be sleeping, it had slipped his mind given that he was an early riser himself. He woke up at dawn almost every day, just to get a jump on the day. It was a normal routine for him. He felt bad when he saw Mordecai come upon with sleep still clinging to him, like shadowy tendrils.

Sitri nodded and gave the other a smile, the side without as much scarring wasn’t as scary. Sitri did, there are new game trails of the likes I have never known. I would like to explore them if you are up for it. Sitri was trying very hard to remember and incorporate the lessons of proper speech that Tyrande was drilling into his head, he was doing the best that he could.

Mordecai's ears perked at the mention of game. Being an aspiring gamekeeper, he had made it key to make sure that they would have plenty to stuff in their caches for the upcoming winter. Preferably the bigger game the better, as he had decided that it would in their best interest to start packing them full now. It would have been easier to replenish and pull the old out as they went along, replacing it with the new that they would find in the weeks and months to come.

But what was just as surprising was the patterning he heard in Sitri's voice. His speech was no longer as broken as it had been in their first meeting, and Mordecai found a smile coming to his face all the same. “I would like that very much,” he told him. With a whole day ahead of them, they could easily spend hours exploring, and maybe find a bit of food along the way. “Show me where you found them,” he went on eagerly. Mordecai was ready to go, and hoped his enthusiasm was infectious.

Sitri himself was also an aspiring gamekeeper so he wanted to learn as much about it as he could and hunt. Now that he had a partner who was almost the same bulk as he they could take down bigger game, maybe earn the trade together if the other already didn't have it.

Sitri nosed to the ground and pointed gently with his nose There's three here this one is bigger, this one is small and this one is medium Sitri can tell by the amount of foot step on the ground. Sitri motioned towards the smaller one first Figured we could follow small to medium to large? yes? is this okay with Mordecai?

I don't think he'd be able to, but the size of the print would be relative to the size of the creature too! :3

As Sitri lied out his plan, Mordecai nodded in agreement. “That's fine with me.” Start small, work their way up. In the time up to that point though, he studied the prints. For a moment, he thought that he might have recognized one, but wasn't entirely sure. When it came to larger game and predatory prey, Mordecai could tell a deer from a bear. But the smaller prey… well, it was just that. It was smaller, and more of a hazard for him to tell apart from others. It hardly mattered when it would fit into your mouth with ease.

“What do you think we're going to be following?” Mordecai decided to venture, curious of the tracking ability of his fellow packmate. If Sitri didn't recognize any of them, then Mordecai wanted to impart his own knowledge. But then again, a part of him wondered if he was being tested, seeing as Sitri was still the higher ranked individual in their party. He couldn't have faulted him if he was, if only because Mordecai believed he would do the same.

Sitri saw him studying and he knew that the large one was probably a moose, he had seen them once before. However the middle one he did not know it (that’s the porcupine we will say because I think marmot’s are smaller.) Sitri studied the prints once more and then with a movement he began to ghost forward on large paws, beign sure not to mar them with his own.

Sitri turned one tattered ear backwards to swivel and listen to Mordecai. He wasn’t sure if he was right and he would admit that, he had hunted, but he was not the best he had room to grow there. Sitri isn’t sure, but he thinks the small one is marmot or weasel and the middle I do not know and the large one…me thinks it’s elk or moose or something of the sort. He panted slightly from the words that he had spoken, he was still learning and sometimes he found that they took a lot out of him, it exhausted him to learn a whole new way of speaking at 4 years old.

As they paced along, Mordecai listened to Sitri's suggestions as to what they were tracking. "I wouldn't be surprised if the largest tracks are elk," he stated. "I've been watching a herd moving in from our west for a few days now. If Jinx allows it, a hunt might be at hand." Mordecai had mentioned such to the Kesuk leader in passing, but had yet to know her thoughts on the matter. He would only hope that they would organize it soon, before the herd ventured too far through their hunting grounds.

"But if these little tracks belong to some weasels, I say we take them out. Don't need them disturbing our caches. They'd make nice additions though." A smile crossed his face once more. By then his attentions were pulled from following the winding trail of footprints to the forests around them. He followed after Sitri absently, watching their surroundings for any tell-a-tale sign that their quarry had spotted them first.

Sitri looked at him with firey red eyes. Sitri will be glad to help you with this hunt Mordecai, just tell him when. He bowed his muzzle the other male fast gaining his respect, and perhaps even loyalty, but that was as of yet a question for another day .

Sitri nodded yes Weasels are a pain. he sniffed at the tracks again and continued ambling forward. Occasionally taking his eyes off the ground to look around and enjoy the sights. This forest is soo very old, it has so many secrets and has seen so many things.

Smiling thinly at the offer Sitri extended to him, Mordecai nodded. He would definitely keep Sitri in mind in the event that they were to hunt, though he also had others in mind as well. No doubt the pack would be the largest of those assets, but he thought fondly of those he had hunted with on prior occassions. But there would be time to plan on that later. Testing the air curiosity as Sitri continued speaking, he wondered about the history of the forest around them as well.

“It makes you wonder just what it has seen,” he commented. “For as untouched as this place is, I wonder if another pack has ever resided here. It's hard to believe that we could be the first to claim it for ourselves.” If only the trees and stones could properly tell them their own tales, he thought. And while Mordecai did enjoy a bit of history here and there, he found that nature was not necessarily a creature that dwelled in the past. And as such, he found that he was often the same way.

Sitri saw the thin smile and thought perhaps he had over stepped a bound, bowed his head. Sitri does not have to help there are much more worthy for your hunt. He didn't mind being overlooked it didn't bother him not much did, but he continued on sniffing and searching trying to figure out what it was they followed. As he came to the bushes where the small prints stopped he slowed and leaned to his front shoulders down and eyes narrowed one tail twitch and he jumped forward as a small creature jumped out grasping it by the neck he gave it one quick snap and the neck was broken and he laid it down at his paws. He smelled more in there, but not it was Mordecai's turn.

Sitri looked at him then and spoke softly so as to not disturb the creatures there. I have found no inkling that nother was here, no prints no dens no caches nothing.

Yay, the internet decided to work so I don't have to post from my phone!

Caught off-guard, Mordecai at first wasn't sure how to react towards Sitri bowing his head, nor the apologetic wording. Something must have been misintepreted, but the tawny Ostrega opted to say nothing out of confusion. Having thought they had moved on past talk of the hunt, it felt as though it had come out of the blue, and Mordecai wondered if Sitri had decided not to help. Though he would have liked nothing more than to have the scarred superior beside him during the hunt, he would also leave it up to Sitri whether or not he participated. Mordecai had little influence over the way things went.

And that was when they had stumbled upon the burrow from where the weasels had gone to rest. Or lack thereof, it seemed, as Sitri deftly snatched one with ease. With a wave of his tail, he stepped in closer to catch the statement offered to him. No inkling that any other had been there before them? That surprised him, though time and weather alone were often enough to erase evidence that they had graced anything. Maybe it had simply been a long time before any other pack had resided there. “Maybe it's cursed,” he said jokingly, unaware of what would occur in their pack with the days to come.

Turning his attention to what he thought was a burrow, Mordecai realized that they had made less of a burrow and more of a nest in the thick clump of brush. If he looked closely, he could pick out the beady eyes that peered out at them, and wondered if they believed that they could not be seen. This was a passing thought however, as he swiftly went to scatter the brush. One marmot squealed as he stepped on it, but another was scooped up and put to an end between his jaws. They were young and surprisingly dumb; he reckoned Sitri had killed their parent moments before.

Sitri listened and it was his turn to smile thinly making his marred face more ghoulish if possible. No curses doesn't feel evil just old, but maybe there is creepies and ghoulies here that we have yet to meet. he smiled not understanding the complete context of a joke, but understanding that this was one. Sitri picked up his kill after a brief nod of deference to the other male for his good kills as well. He continued doggedly on.

As he sniffed and parted branches and brush, the scent before the middle sized creature. He took off in hot pursuit and he pushed his muzzle into a bush intent to see what it was, What met him was a bizarre looking creature standing rigid and it's fur was all standing on end and it's tail was facing him. Growling he made to attack it as suddenly it moved and he grunted in pain as sharp pricks went into his muzzle and he backed up quickly barbs of something sticking in his muzzle. He looked at it, trying to figure out what to do. He laid down ears at the stinging pain that was not going through his muzzle and it was painful to touch too. What is this devilment?

Sorry about the wait on this! Also LMAO at Sitri. Poor fellow!

Mordecai saw what it was just a second too late. His mouth opened to warn Sitri, but the scarred wolf dove in much too quickly for the words to leave him. Instead his gaping muzzle shut as he hissed in pain himself; not that the porcupine had got him, but rather of where it got his companion. Forgetting about the waddling critter as it made a swift escape from the scene of the crime, the tawny Ostrega circled in on Sitri to investigate their new predicament.

“That,” he said with a glance off after the creature, “was a porcupine. And it is most certainly a devil in its own right.” Wincing as he counting off the barbs, he soon found he was amiss as to what they could do to alleviate the situation. Some of the barbs looked loose enough that Mordecai was tempted to take a chance and pull at them, but he also didn't want to be on the receiving end of pain himself, presumably from Sitri's teeth.

“We should go find a cold stream. Might dull some of the pain.” His words were absent, as he debated who they could rouse to come and aid them. Lecter came to his mind, but at the same time he didn't wish to disturb him. Outside of him, he couldn't really think of who else had enough expertise in healing that would be helpful.

Sitri heard the hiss of pain from Mordecai, in respect to his own. It did sting, but it was nothing compared to some of the wounds he had, so he could deal with it. He looked cross eyed at the wound trying to decide if he could do anything with it, if he tried to get them himself, he would push them further in.

Sitri nodded Don't like porcupines! Bad devils. Sitri saw him looking them over and he wondered if Mordecai could pull them out. At the mention of a cold spring he shook his head No can you pull them out. Sitri won't bite back, just wants them out. Continue hunting. he grew quiet again and waited.

He sat down and studied his face as best he could with crooked crossed eyes. He could get a few of them pulled out he imagined. He was loathe to cut their hunting trip short. They needed the food, winter was fast coming and it would not do any good to not have the caches full.

Mild powerplay/glossing over of him trying to pull them out; if it's not cool, PM me and I'll make the necessary edits. ;)

Turning his head back to Sitri, Mordecai was not that surprised that the hunter didn't want to stop their pursuit. Instead, he suggested that Mordecai tried to pull the quills from his muzzle. For a moment, he considered telling him that it was what they all said, but felt sure that the joke would have been lost. Instead, he let out a noisy breath and stepped in closer, hesitating as though to give the opportunity for Sitri to rescind the offer.

When that rescind didn't come, Mordecai carefully reached out and held fast to the closest quill to him, one that seemed to not have hit its mark as well as the many other. Grasping it between his teeth, the Ostrega pulled it free quickly, stepping back and dropping it. He smiled crookedly, not being a medic. There would be no warning from him, just a steady plucking of what he could. His bedside manners could have probably done with some work.

A few minutes later, and Mordecai spat the last quill from his teeth with a manner of distaste. “Guess that'll have to do,” he said, tilting his head at the shoddy handiwork. He didn't think it gave Sitri much comfort in having them removed, but it hopefully wouldn't hinder him as much. “Kind of a suitable look for you, I suppose. Goes with the scars.” In truth, it really didn't help Sitri's appearance much, but Mordecai was hardly one to judge.

Sitri saw him hesitate and he tilted his muzzle closer and waited for him to start pulling them out. He dug his meaty paws into the ground to control his flight or fight reaction, that he was sure would come eeking into his veins.

Sitri gasped in pain as sharp pain shot up his muzzle, but he didn't say anything and he didn't bite. He closed his eyes tight and waited for Mordecai to finish with the other things, not expecting any words or warnings. He just wanted them out.

Sitri chuckled darkly and moved to glance at his muzzle. It was swollen, he would need a healer to look at it, but otherwise he was good. Thank you Mordecai. I don't like those little beasties. He straightened out his legs and shook his fur and he put his nose down to the ground, one small whine was all that escaped at the discomfort.

“You're welcome,” he said with a crooked smile. And while he had never met the wrong end of a porcupine himself, he didn't want to. It was clear that Sitri was still in pain, but had steadily gone back to their work where most probably would have waited until later to resume. All the same, Mordecai followed his lead without question to the matter. But before he did, the tawny Ostrega kicked the pulled barbs beneath the earth. He didn't know if someone could meet some misfortune by stepping on them, and wasn't about to find out himself.

“Maybe we should focus on the large game for now.” Small game, while good for a meal, wasn't what he was entirely interested in at the moment. It wouldn't sustain their pack, which surprisingly Mordecai did not notice he was putting their needs ahead of his own. “Should we backtrack now to where the trail was, or try and pick it up further out?” He was unopposed to either suggestion, but left the decision up to his superior. After all, Sitri had been the one to find the tracks to begin with.

Sitri supposed he should have stopped what he was doing, but fall would be coming soon. They needed to either get some game in the caches or find out where there was game. He wasn't about to let this pack starve, because he had a few porcupine quills stuck in his muzzle, especially when he had much worse.

Sitri dipped his head Of course. they all came this way, probably to head to a water source. He motioned the way ahead of them, he didn't have the smell yet, but he knew it came this way. He tilted his head and sniffed at the ground as he walked, trying hard to find the scent trail again.

Following after Sitri, Mordecai delved back into silence. He drew in their surroundings as they went, noting on the simple nuances of the terrain around them. While he had covered the Spine mostly, there were still places and parts to it that he hadn't investigated. Much of his time had been divvied up into securing their status there, and of course the eager preparations for winter. For a moment as they ventured on, he wondered just what the coming weeks would bring, and curiously, what the Spine would look like in the autumn.

“Things are much quieter here than on the mountain,” he said, almost absently. This time, he shifted his gaze to Sitri and the trail ahead of them. It seemed even in his short stay on the mountain, there had been some stirrings to be had. That Majesty fellow, the abandonment of bodies from their ranks… the venture to the Isle… all of those had played on good reasons to move and start anew. Or so to speak. It was also then that Mordecai realized that he had not strayed from the territory much either, but the true feeling of being stir crazy had not set in for him.

As they walked Sitri would occasionally dip his muzzle into a bush, to gather more of the scent. Whatever this creature was it was high up, they may not be able to take it out themselves, may need to call for help. As he walked he kept a trained ear on Mordecai.

Sitri nodded yes very quiet, too quiet. Something bad will happen, when there is lots of silence always bad things follow. Sitri knew this to be true, he had always done the bad things he had done in cover of silence, silence could be good, but it could also be very very bad. He grew quiet then as he caught sight of a movement in the trees. Hackles rose as red eyes moved to and fro to catch sight again, it was something large, or many things large. He couldn't quite see them all yet.

Sitri's statement brought an interesting point to Mordecai, who considered it for a few moments. It was possible that bad things were apt to follow a period of silence, but he had never had that fortune. “It may not,” he suggested. “Maybe things are on the up and up. Not all silence has to be followed by something bad.” To think that their lives would possibly be ruled by constant turmoil did not sound all that appealing to Mordecai, who had for the longest time resided in leisure.

He would have had more to add to that, but the same rustling of the terrain up ahead captured his attention quickly. His gold eyes watched the foliage with rapt attention, and all things around them may as well have ceased to exist. A quiet, but low growl rumbled in his throat, and Mordecai took the lead this time. Creeping quietly, he was trying to gain a better vantage point of what it was that had raised the alarm. Like Sitri, he felt it was something large, and the first thing the tawny Ostrega desired to do was make sure it was no threat. Though he had yet to see a live one, he knew that bears did reside within the confines of the Wilds, a herald back to the cavern he and Dante had explored months earlier.

With a loose gesture for Sitri to follow him, Mordecai slipped forward towards the source.

Sitri looked at him and bowed his head, Maybe not, but it has not been so in Sitri's case. Things change though. that was all he said on the subject. Perhaps there would be no problems, maybe they would be fine, maybe nothing would happen and they would live a peaceful existence and Sitri could die without any more blood on his paws, but he would be ready for it, none the less.

Sitri did not complain, he followed behind Mordecai as he took the lead. He kept his head and shoulders down, but his eyes forward. He slunk along with bright eyes, every so often turning his head to catch a glimpse of the sides to make sure nothing was want to ambush them.

Hmm, short of them trying to give the animals chase, maybe Sitri could suggest they scout them out somehow? Up to you! :D

Comfortable in knowing that Sitri was watching their backs, he continued closing in the gap between them and whatever it was that lurked just beyond. But Mordecai did not have to go much further to realize what it was; the wind shifted into their favor, as did the warning call of an elk. His ears perked significantly then, and the Ostrega halted his approach, listening. Where there was one elk, there were often more, and he didn't want to be the one to go and spook the entire herd off from their hunting grounds.

Looking to Sitri, he stepped back to stand side by side with the scarred hunter. “I think we've found what we should've been looking for,” he whispered, smiling faintly. If there was truly a herd of elk lingering in the forests beyond, there would most definitely have to be a hunt in order. Surely. It was an opportunity that none of them could pass up.

Sitri frowned at the foliage, he couldn't see anything. He shifted his weight and then looked around. Sniffing at the ground and looking around at the nearby coverings. He studied his surroundings and then spoke We can...could? go around and study them from different coverings, see how many and how big? Maybe find one to go after?

He tilted his head and moved forwards a little more trying to see if it were elk. It it were they would be set for winter, if these creatures weathered it here. He hoped they did, they would feed them all well.