Phoenix Maplewood Lights down for the one I love.
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#1
All Welcome 
Unofficial pack hunt, no requirement to join but I wanna write with you all! I did a dice roll and this hunt will be unsuccessful.   :)
attn: @Dawn, @Daylily, @Salvatore, @Kaori, @Eights, @Kora, @Chai @Anokhi @Aphrodite

Snow fell lightly that morning as Artyom watched the beaver family strengthen their home where Whitebark's stream tapered deep into the neighbouring maplewood. He lingered among the trees at a distance, out of sight as his pale coat blended with a Wintry background. It would be easy to ambush the group whose focus was on applying fresh branches and thick mud to their dam - but it would be better with several pairs of eyes and sets of fangs.

He returned to the heart of pack territory and sent a call up for comrades, and waited quietly for those to respond. After sharing his intentions with his pack-mates, Artyom turned to lead them South with an excited spring in his stride.

"There," he said, hushed as he eased his stride and crouched low, hoping his fellow hunters would follow suit. Nose pointed in the direction of the riverbank where a large beaver sat grooming its sodden furs, he continued: "I think they have been here, undisturbed, for a while. Don't seem very alert for predators." A hungry sweep of his tongue over an upper lip, his earthen gaze remained fixed. With a backward twitch of an ear, he questioned the others: "got any ideas to best tackle this? I want us to take home as many as we can carry."
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Anokhi followed the group as they exited their territory. She bumped shoulders with Eights, disregarding any feelings of her that he might have held, and caught up to meet Dawn. Hunting wasn't her favorite activity, but she knew enough about it to contribute.

What if we split up? she asked, looking between Artyom and the others, We can break into threes. Each group takes a different angle, y'know? Anokhi remained silent while she awaited a response.
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Ooc — Kaiya
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#3
Artyom had sent up a call for other's assistance, and Kora's first thought was he was injured or about to be. That is until she listened to the excitement seep into his request, she didn't know what it was but she left anyway. She was one of the last ones to join the group and had caught up immediately after they had left. Still confused as to where they were going and what they were doing she just simply followed; making sure she never strayed too far behind.

It wasn't until they got to where they had been led that Kora realized this was a hunting party, but she was not one to back out after she had joined. Instead, she nodded at the suggestions and tried to help in any way she could "Make sure they have nowhere to go. If they do, they'll take it and escape." Quietly she whispered her input, even if nobody listened to the cripple it would be nice to know she had attempted to contribute.
Kora has a limp and doesn't usually walk on her right forepaw, walking with three legs instead of four, so you're always welcome to reference that! When she speaks Maori it will look like this! <3
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Ooc — Tori
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#4
She had been in here less than an hour and now was called to a hunt. A wave of insecurities washed over her- she had never actually....hunted before. Not properly. What if she messed up? 

She padded up to the small gathering, nervously wagging her tail. "Hi...um..I'm Aphrodite..." Her voice was soft, but definitely not a hunters whisper. "I...I can dig into the burrow? Maybe flush them?"
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#5
Connor didn't know how much help he'd be with his lack of hunting experience, but he felt compelled to assist wherever he could. Thus, he followed Artyom southwards. They came to the elaborate structure these weird creatures apparently called "beavers" lived in, & he felt utterly out of his element. As he watched them, a vaguely familiar figure approached; it was that odd woman who was keen on lingering around their territory. Maybe she finally joined & he just hadn't seen her around.

She brushed against his shoulder as if they were comrades. The interaction was so outside of the typical social script that he stood stiff as a board & merely watched her stride up to Dawn & propose a plan as if she were a fully-integrated pack member. Was he missing something here? Probably. Connor decided it was best to stay silent for now, even as an unfamiliar woman introduced herself as "Aphrodite" & offered to dig at the beavers' burrow.
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#6
No post order here, and this is just a reminder that this hunt will be unsuccessful - Whitebark wolves will go home with no prey.   :(
Pack-mates are still free to hop in if they want to!

The voice of another, Anokhi, was first to pipe up in response. Artyom turned his proud head then, shifting slightly to blink over a gilded shoulder at the she-wolf's dark features. He rather liked her suggestion and offered a smile that glimmered in his mahogany gaze, which shifted to Kora as she offered input. It would be good advice if the beavers didn't have a special escape underwater and, for the first time, realised that his packmates might not have any experience with these oversized rodents.

"They will attempt to dive as soon as they feel threatened," he shared, "and their burrow is remarkably well-built. I don't think we would have any luck in breaking it down - not unless we have all day." He regarded Aphrodite with an apologetic glance, and took note of Connor's silence with quiet concern.

Artyom fell silent for a time, contemplating which next move would yield the greatest results. "I think," he said, decision made, "we will go in from different angles." He regarded each of his comrades with a glance as he addressed them, "Connor and Kora, head in from upstream; Anokhi and Aphrodite, downstream. I'll cross the river and attack from there. Wait until I move, then you make yours." He crept away then, careful on ice and cold mud, to find the safest place to cross.

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Ooc — Tori
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#7
She currently had no idea who Anokhi was. For a moment she wondered if she should ask, but the thought of asking the wrong one made her fidget. She decided to go downriver herself. "They're just rats.." she told herself. "Giant wet rats with weird tails." Rats could bite though, and she had nearly lost a toe as a pup. Still, they looked fat and slow, and she wondered why there was so much caution being taken. A twig snapped under her paw and she paused, looking around. Maybe I'll just dive in and grab one! They can't be THAT difficult... wouldn't that be a good impression? She mused to herself, taking position and forming a plan.
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Anokhi laughed and nodded along to the instructions. She didn't know who Aphrodite was, but assumed that it was whichever she-wolf Connor didn't approach. That left her with only one option, which made the process much easier. The waif trotted up to her hunting partner and giggled, whispering back, Big, stinky, really weird rats. She winked as she moved ahead, finding a spot for the pair to settle and wait.
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Ooc — Kaiya
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#9
Kora was quiet through the rest of the planning, nodding at parts she felt necessary. This was her first pack hunt... ever. Actually this was her first hunt with somebody other than her parents, usually, fishing was her strong point and her method to get any food necessary other than lucky small game. It was then she decided that even if they came home with nothing, she would go and get a proper sized fish for each and every one of the wolves present.

Kora looked around and took notes in her mind, what everybody looked like and an average fish size she thought appropriate to get each wolf without too much of a size difference. Coming back into the conversation the lady heard she and somebody named Connor would be working upstream, the lady nodded and glanced at who she assumed to be Connor.

Most of the time you could catch Kora in a sociable mood, but with her nerves from the hunt, she couldn't even bring herself to say hello as the nodded to Artyom and her partner before dropping her paw and walking with as little limp as possible, keeping herself as quiet as she could manage. Silently she headed upstream, dreading what was coming next.
Kora has a limp and doesn't usually walk on her right forepaw, walking with three legs instead of four, so you're always welcome to reference that! When she speaks Maori it will look like this! <3
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#10
Thankfully, Artyom gave some advice on how best to tackle catching beavers. Even better, he assigned Connor a task, which made him feel more comfortable. He didn't know who Kora was but figured he'd soon find out when they both ended upstream from the dam. The woman he presumed was Kora greeted him with a nod, which he returned. As they moved towards their assigned position, he noticed she was limping, which brought a concerned wrinkle to his brow.

Are you injured, Kora? Connor asked with great concern. If she was, he'd have to advise her that she shouldn't be hunting.
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Ooc — Tori
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#11
She giggled at the reply she got from her hunting partner, and followed her further downstream. "How hard can it be to catch a Fish-rat?" She asked playfully. She didn't have much hunting experience due to her upbringing. There was also the matter of the secret she held in her belly. Aiolos and the other males she had visited had left her without a shadow of a doubt she would bear pups. It wouldn't be long before she would need to eat more, and learning to hunt even simple prey would be difficult. She hadn't seen the Alphas yet..... would they be angry?
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Ooc — Kaiya
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#12
Padding silently the woman crept upstream, hopefully trailed by her current hunting partner. Nerves still rode butterflies in her stomach, somehow making it all the way up to her brain and muddling her thoughts. Should I really do this? What if I fail? Doubts and what-ifs crowded her already over-populated brain. Are you injured, Kora? The question floated over her, her mind not able to process the words at first. When Kora finally realized what Connor was referring to the ivory lady giggled, she figured she should get this out of the way as soon as possible.

Keeping her voice low the cream woman tried to explain: "Kāo! No no. I was born like this." Figuring that would still leave a person slightly confused she dove deeper. "The bones in my paw are deformed. Usually, I don't walk on it. But I can. And this seems like a fitting time." Then limping ahead again she lied "It doesn't hurt." Actually her paw was throbbing, and she knew she would have to pay for her foolishness later. For now though, it seemed like an appropriate thing to do.
Kora has a limp and doesn't usually walk on her right forepaw, walking with three legs instead of four, so you're always welcome to reference that! When she speaks Maori it will look like this! <3
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#13
@Anokhi @Aphrodite @Kora @Eights
Final round, one last post from you guys and I'll conclude. Thanks for writing with me!  <3

Off they went, heading carefully in the direction of their allocated positions. Artyom moved quietly, so low to the ground that the snow chilled his delicate undersides, and a shudder coursed through him at the discomfort. He was well camouflaged and, thankful for his paler Winter pelage, felt his confidence bolstered.

A gilded ear trained on the dam and the creatures that worked on it, the hunter's earthen gaze studied the stream's edge to in search of an appropriate place to cross. He could find no such spot, so opted to carry on further upstream, but the heightened sound of beaver chatter had him stop in his tracks. Artyom's head swung around just in time to see the beasts scatter from the banks, some disappearing underwater with splashes and others vanishing among the frozen reeds and gnawed sticks.

A grumble from him then, sorely disappointed for the hunt to have failed when it had barely begun. Gathering himself upright, the ranger shook out his pelt and loped briskly toward the beavers' home where he nosed among the branches and twigs, sniffing enthusiastically for any sign of entrances to the structure.

Nothing. "Блядь," he muttered breathily, and turned once more to face his pack-mates. "Better luck next time!" Artyom called over to them, deflated but unwilling to blame them for their failure - not every hunt could be successful. Their chances at the maplewood's dam had expired, for now, but there would be other opportunities to fill their bellies elsewhere. "Let's go home, perhaps we will find something else along the way."

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Several splashes meant the weird, Fish-rats had taken to the water. Eager to prove herself Aphrodite plunged in after them, determined to catch something
She had underestimated how cold the water was. It shocked her, and for a moment she floundered, sputtering and panting. She lunged forwards, spotting movement, plunging her head underwater and lifting it with..... A very moldy stick. Ears pinned she slunk out of the water, staring daggers at the den. She was cold, wet, embarrassed, and hungry.
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Anokhi knew that not all hunts were meant to be won. She shrugged her shoulders and shook the water from her pelt, turning to return home. An empathetic brush was worn against Aphrodite's shoulder, should the woman allow it.
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The hunt was over as quickly as it began and it seemed none of the wolves were to be held accountable. All of which eased Kora's nerves. The ivory lady looked at her partner and shot him a kind smile, offering a dip of her head. She lifted her paw again, already it had been throbbing, steadily she made her way back to the territory. Surely if she could get the others some fish it could lift somebody's mood.

Whether it be all of them or just one she would welcome the joy with open arms paws. The lady allowed her tail to silently sweep, hoping to catch any sadness with a brush of her tail and knock it away. Her lavender eyes set ahead, determined to get food within the bellies of these wolves if it wasn't already there.
Kora has a limp and doesn't usually walk on her right forepaw, walking with three legs instead of four, so you're always welcome to reference that! When she speaks Maori it will look like this! <3
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#17
Fading here, thanks for joining in!

Aphrodite, swift on her determined paws, swept forward - likely driven by the fleeing of their prey. Artyom, too, had felt the drive to pursue, but held back - he would rather make the journey home without the discomfort of a sudden pelt.

Still, he felt hooefulas the wolfess dived nose-first into the freezing water, and looked on from above with excited anticipation. It was quick to fade, however, when she emerged with nothing between her jaws but a rotten old stick.

Artyom emitted a soft whine in sympathy, and shifted his weight to move alongside his pack-mate to bump his muzzle fondly to her soaked shoulder. "Let's keep moving," he looked around at the group, then loped from the scene of their failure to follow the stream and lead them toward their own turf.