Haunted Wood Oh we can feast!

@Hela @Serem @Memory @Clarence @Padma @Cordelia and also if the puppies want to watch: @Death @Conquest @Valium @Lithium @Famine. Please tag anyone I forgot! Twice a year the goats come down from the mountains and through the wood! (approved by Steph)

 


It was humid as the day warmed and the cool dark woods filled with most that drifted over sections in thick patches. From within one patch came the faint echoes of wails. High tones and low, soft and loud growing closer and closer. Valour had heard it from the borders and began to inspect it, walking through the mist and spotting the approaching form of goats. They came over the hills, six of them leaping off the boulders sunk into the ground unaware of his proximity. He froze licking his lips and then turned retreating till he was a safe enough distance away to call to the pack urgently to the hunt. With all the adults they had, they could work together to take down at least three of them safely. He hungrily hoped that they could manage to sneak in a fourth one but they'd had wicked horns on their heads.

She was laying with her pups today when she heard the young mans call. The shewolf arose swiftly with her two young following her like ducklings. She knew the call was a silent one so perhaps this was the hunt there was talk about and when she seen Valour it almost confirmed it as the scent of the beast hit her nose. She told the pups to sit back and observe hoped they would stay enough out of the way if not completely. She gave a short low howl for @Santiago Arcos

His eyes shoot open at the first howl, a howl from their soon to be new leader. His head raises from its position on the ground and he begins standing, shaking himself of the debris that’s collected on him while in slumber he begins a trot to the sound. Then his ears perk up once he hears another. This time it belongs to the sleek, raven furred female. He picks up his pace some and eventually lets loose into a sprint.

Finally able to see her, their leader, and even some pups he slows. Walking up next to the she-wolf he smirks and gives a nod of acknowledgment to them both. Next his eyes must betray him as he sees what they’re now looking at. A small herd of goats; how lovely. He lowers himself to the ground and lets out a howl to call @Clarence. He’s sure the boy would love a hunt.

Swiftly Serem arrived with the pups following behind her, howling for someone else.  As she sat the kids down off the side Valour turned his head catching the movement of an approaching figure. He quickly gave the man a once over before nodding to him in greeting and turning back to their prey. "There's three of us and one more possibly coming. I think we should try to pick at least half the group off but I'm wary of those horns" he spoke quietly giving each wolf a glance to see if they were down for the free for all he wanted to go for "we should be able to get two at the least" he added in sounding uncertain of himself for a moment. Was three too much to aim for? truth was he had only been in two group hunts in his lifetime and never called one himself, he had no idea what to expect or plan out. Memory had taken down the frighteningly vicious boar they'd hunted together though so he was sure they could handle three of these weird things.

Some power play for Serem’s exit. With permission ofc ;)

Santi looks to the both of them then Serem seems to have remembered something judging by the expression that quickly overcame her face. She briefly throws out and apology and mentions her having to check up on the other females pups. Santi glances back to the two that he knows are hers and notes that–yes there are only two. The other are probably back at the grotto. So Santi nods to he once in acknowledgment and she starts in the direction they came from, her two pups in tow close behind her.

The monochromatic wolf looks to his leader then to the hooves animals. Sidling up beside him he grins over to the other. “Those horns can be dangerous, I’d suggest we go for the females.” He says to him. Excitement shines in his porcelain eyes, ready for the hunt.

Watching Serem walk off with the children he turned back to the herd to reassess the situation before Santiago took over and suggested they go for the females to stay safe instead. He nodded silently though he had wanted to take the horns off of one of the goats, they were pretty cool looking. "They're just about over the cliffs. We can probably go now" his eyes mirrored Santiago's excitement, fur rising up just a little as he began to head toward the left of the cliffs moving slowly between the shadows of the trees as he tried to get a better attack point.

Santiago likes the confident aura coming from the other and nods when he speaks. Though as the other starts off in one direction, Santi goes the opposite. Caging only animals and setting up a trap seems to work at least eighty percent of the time. So, Santi believes this time to be no different.

Sinking back into the brush shadows of the trees provided by shade, he creeps up behind the herd looking to the other male just a distance away. Hunting is a team exercise, so he’d keep it that way. He tilts his chin up in a way to ask Are you ready?

Vanity was slow. Slower than ever to get to the hunt site.
She was in two minds about it, she was pregnant, but she was Lieutenant. 
She went, eventually, seeking through the forest like dark death.

She slowed, smelling the prize of goat. Must be some sort of migration for the summer. There were a number of scents around where the call had come from - Serem and her young, Santi, and Valour. Serem must've come to see, but decided against it as her tracks doubled back. She bristled herself up to look larger and silently loped after the males.
She slowed her steps, seeing the pawprints before her become shorter. She must be close. If she knew anything about Valour, he'd organize a pincer movement to ambush them, and she suspected Santi would follow the lead since Valour called the hunt and it was a good plan for possibly dangerous cargo.

The Huntress slunk low, spotting where she suspected Santi to be​, and suspected Valour to be on the other side. She moved downwind of the goats, ready to catch one as it sprinted into har path. She could take one like a cougar like on the mountains. Not the typical wolf style, but effective all the same.
She wouldn't call out to the males, but she'd follow their ambush.

Crouching low behind a patch of thick growing bushes he watched as the males with their large horns strode past, the females close behind. Looking around quickly he spotted Santiago in time to catch his silent question and nodded, baring his fangs and cutting off two before they could escape and startling them toward Santiago's hiding place. Rushing after them he lunged for the hind leg of one, jaws closing down and yanking hard causing the goat to release a shrill sound and aim a kick at him with it's free leg. Valour released the goat and ducked the hoof thudding off his shoulder leaving him wincing and hanging back for a moment as he checked to see if the limb could hold his weight. As he did the breeze blew to him Vanity's scent though he was distracted by the hunt in front of him to look around for her at the very moment.

Santiago’s muscles are tense and ready to react to anything. Once he sets eyes on those bared teeth of his new Warlords, he never takes the white hues off of the action. Valour is herding them closer to Santi and his own teeth bare with savage intent as his paws carry him towards the horned creatures.

Porcelain eyes land on the long throat of the animal, such an easy target. They don’t have too much reach in the front with their hooves unless Santi lets it rear, but he won’t. Runs up and latches onto the things vulnerable throat. His deadly canines grinding, then puncturing into soft flesh. It’s cries are loud and filled with terror, he’s sure it knows it’s last moments are near.

Tearing at the flesh and running beside the goat, he attempts a shake of his head. The angle is weird and the goat rips Santi’s teeth from its throat with a yank of its head. Blood still spews from the wounds and he knows he and Valour are getting the better of it.

Running along side it, Santi continues to nip it’s legs and shoulders. He’s able to easily keep up with it as it’s heart races and tries to runs from the pair. Meanwhile Santi is completely unaware of the raven female skulking around in the bushes.

Valour launched the assault, charging at one to bring it down deftly, but taking an injury. She saw Santi take the cue and launch himself at one, she didn't take not if it was the same one for she was eyeing up her own target.

The goats came hurtling down the narrow path, fear clouding their eyes white. Their chins were up, as they do for some reason. Fear makes them stupid, for one who was smart would tuck their chin in.
She wouldn't go for a female, they needed to live to produce offspring for the next year so this migration could continue if the goats didn't find a different path.
She watched one, fearful but as yet untouched. The goat Santi was chasing just behind.
 
She launched at the proud male goat. She drove up towards his neck and his legs kicked out at her, bumping her chest. But she was already latched on, dragging him down with a growl, ripping her head side to side to sever that jugular and cause his life to seep from him.
He charged at her in the last bid to free himself, driving down and crushing her under him. The goat fell and she held on tight, no amount of pain would make her release.

She struggled up on top of him, a reaper sucking the life from the living.
And it lay still, the thundering in her ear was no longer the goats, no wild herds roared around her, no crashing falls beside her. She panted hard, still not letting go. It was the only thing keeping her in reality. She'd hit her head hard, the blood trickled from her crown staining her mask.

At long last, she let go to see how her packmates were; she finally remembered they existed.

Watching Santiago take off after the injured goat he put his sore leg down and gave chase. The trail of blood fueled his adrenaline, drool pooling and falling in strings as he flew toward the fleeing goat and swerved to avoid his packmate before flinging himself at the injured creature. His weight slammed into the hooved creature and he felt them both go down, rolling in a mass of panicking bleating goat and snarling wolf. In the struggle he felt hooves thud into his chest, the pain searing through his very being. Rolling to the side he stumbled to his paws and came back at the animal, blood streaming from slices in his chest where the sharp edges of the hoof had pierced his flesh. Jaws parted and latched around the back of the fallen animal's throat holding it down and shaking his head side to side violently as he lost his temper feeling the pain the prey had left in his body. By the time he was done the bleeding Goat lay limp and dazed and he dropped it, breathing raggedly as he left it to Santiago to finish as Vanity appeared bleeding. Taking in her rounded sides he lifted his eyes to hers "Take your catch in and see Serem, you're bleeding" he said, forgetting that he wasn't exactly the one to be dealing out orders yet even if he had called the hunt and taken control in the first place.

Santiago watches politely as Valour rips the goat to shreds and chuckles when the man finally lets go. Then he walks over to she-wolf Santi hadn’t even known was here. Furrowing his brows at the sight of her he would’ve scolded her for hunting while so large with pup. Of course he’s only scold her if he knew she wouldn’t bite his face off if he did. 

Internally he shrugs and makes his way over to the half dead goat. This time he latches onto the front of its throat. His jaw works to crunch incisors down as well as puncture with his canines. After, his body ripples in a violent shake. 
It almost reminded him of the time he had that raven wolf pinned beneath him. The bitch latches on his foot as he crunched and crunched at her neck in hopes to find that valuable artery. Yet he didn’t, so now he’s stuck with the fact that he got his ass whooped with no kills to at least prioritize as a victory. 
Getting back on topic. When he hears the hosts neck snap he releases his grip. His chin drips with blood as he opens his mouth in a pant. Teeth and black tongue stained with the goats life force as well.

Lifting his head he calls to Valour. “Are you taking this back, Valour? I think I should help Vanity take hers.” He offers, walking up beside the two. He’s unsure the female would even want his help even considering the conditions she’s in.

She took in the scene, knowing they had their kill under control. 
It seemed she was more efficient than them, who seemed to use brute force rather than directly to that tough windpipe surrounded by vital arteries. 
Maybe they never studied cougars hunting as she had. Perhaps she was too feline.

She nodded to Valours request - it was a damned request and no damned order - and swiped at the blood with a pale sock, seeing how much was actually there. It was a head wound though, they bleed a lot. She was a proud woman, but she wasn't stupid. The goat she'd taken would do her in more alone than with help. The thoughts of going through the caches now filled her mind, every location of caches she'd made and what was in them and what should be taken out and could be used as bait.
Pit bait.

She licked her lips, ready to help Santi with the goat, she suspected Valour would take his by himself because of his pride. He wasn't stupid with his pride though, not as often as Hela was.

Santiago, under the assumption that Valour will take the one they brought down, pads over to the she-wolf. That round belly of hers threatens to burst it seems and Santi almost cringes when he notices that she’s bleeding.

“You okay, amiga?” He asks in a low hum, genuine in his concern for the pregnant wolf. “You don’t need to help. I’ll drag it back. You can give me company though.” The male offers back with a wink as he begins to maneuver around the animal to grab it.

She nodded curtly.
"'tis only a head wound. Some water and moss will fix it." At least they could eat, after that long winter where nothing came from it expect the raiding coyotes for meals.
She'd done all she could, and that's why she'd waited until the winter was over before allowing herself to find a mate.

She moved to the goat also, two would be quicker than one. It would be her last hunt for a long time, but she would still be Lieutenant. Even if someone wanted her position, she'd fight them for it.
Valour too took up his goat and the three of them moved to stow away the meats in caches and feed the pack, who were undoubtedly hungry.