Bitterroot Valley the law of tooth and claw

Dawn, 2°C, Heavy Mist. Elk hunting thread.

The sun had just started to rise in the early morning sky, casting a fiery orange glow across the valley dominated by bitterroot plants. Despite the warm presence of the sun, the morning was bitterly cold; the temperature barely above freezing as the lone wolf slowly stirred awake. Peering out from the darkness, from his position tucked beneath the hollow of a fallen tree, Niall's jaw parted into a long yawn, his pearly-white teeth glinting beneath the faint dawn light. 

Hungrily his sharp silver eyes scanned along the horizon, searching for any sign of movement from the herd of elk he had smelt on the breeze the night previous. Dark nostrils flared too, quickly picking up on the subtle scent on the breeze as it hissed passed his pricked ears. His tongue moved to lick ravenously at his charcoal lips as he quickly shuffled his way out from underneath the hollow tree, and bowed down into a stretch before giving his honeyed fur a thorough shake. 

Silently he stalked forwards, following the scent of the elk herd on the breeze as he began to journey deeper into the heart of the valley. Pale paws gradually loped into a brisk trot, as the male moved swiftly through the plains of wild pink flowers. Up ahead clouds began to gather, forming a thick haze of mist to hover inches above the ground. It provided the perfect cover for the hungry male as he set out on a hunt.

Kane had been traveling for a few days to explore not only the world, but to see what kind of life was living in a place like this. Kane was accustomed to smaller prey, fish, and even the occasional buffalo or two when his pack was big enough. Now that he was here, Kane had much less opportunity to feast on such fine meals. The kind of meal where you work through life and death just to eat. For whatever reason, such struggled excited the branded warrior as he thought of his scars gained in both battle and hunt.

          A smirk played on his lips as he picked up the scent of elk. While by himself, he could at least practice chasing them, right? There was no way he would take them down by himself. Unless there was a calf, of course. Since it was not late May yet, there had not been any calves born yet. Elk were born at the very bginning of summer, which was such an odd time to Kane, though it also meant that there would be plenty to have during the summer. 

          The fog settled quietly as Kane stalked the elk. He had no idea that another male was off to his right because he was so transfixed. Perhaps it was because Kane was hungry. Two lone wolves stalking the same prey. It left a window of opportunity, should both of them agree. Kane counted the herd. Five, six, seven... There were several adults ahead of him of various ages, though he couldn't tell which one would be a target until he got closer, or if they chose to bolt.

          Kane could keep up with them for a time, but it would take from his energy banks. Kane had the strength to take them down, as well as the stamina to hold on. He lacked the endurance to run for long periods because of his bulk. Kane was a built fighter, not an agile hunter, but that didn't mean he couldn't take one down. Slow, careful steps forward into the grass and Kane became much quieter. As he glanced around him, he noticed another shadow to his right. Was he not alone? Kane waited to move forward to see what this shadow developed into. A simple wave of his tail to grasp the other's attention.

Others are still welcome to jump in and join the hunt!

Silently the male stalked through the valley, trotting at a comfortable pace as he advanced towards the grazing herd of elk. It was impossible to tell from the scent of the ungulates alone how many there were in the herd, it was only as he drew closer that he was able to spot them. Cold silver eyes flickered from one dark hide to the next, counting as he scanned the small gathering of prey. Niall counted seven, all adults. The male's nostril's flared, slightly aggitated, that upon immediate inspection he could single out no easy target.

However, as he inhaled the scent of the herd his nose caught another scent on the morning breeze. Immediately his attention snapped to his left, and Niall turned to spot another wolf stalking in herd in the distance to the left of him. Niall's black-tipped tail lifted briefly to wave in air, an attempt to catch the other male's attention subtly without startling the grazing elk herd. It was impossible to tell who had laid claim to the elk herd first, so Niall did not chase him off immediately, but if the wolves were prepared to work together there would be a much better chance of them taking down a meal. 

The darker male appeared larger in size, his build much more equipped to taking down prey of their size. Niall could use that to his advantage, if he could just identify a target to chase down and seperate from the others.

Kane watched the return wave of a tail, so he snuck closer to the other. The other wolf did not chase him off, so the opportunity of working together was possible. Kane kept an eye on the herd as he stood a foot away from the other wolf, taking in his scent but also to be capable of whispering to him. "Seeing as alone we can't take one down, working together might prove possible. Want to share?" he asked the other. "There would be plenty to eat." Normally, Kane was not the type to work together with a strange wolf, however both wanted to survive another day. Working together meant that they could go another few days on meat and get to places they wanted to be at. Simply put, both of them had come to the right place at the right time, as they had shown up together. 

          As the elk dispersed a little more, Kane noticed one of them with an injured leg. The elk cow favored a rear, right leg as she held it in the air, limping along with the others who were ahead of it. "There! That cow!" Kane exclaimed, pointing with a paw. "We could use her leg as an advantage to bringing her down on the ground, perhaps." Kane tried to imagine the hunt in his head. If they pulled the elk down on her right side, she had no leg to hold her up so it was quite possible she could go down pretty easily if they timed it right.

Cue Chai from WBS! Permission to power play @Artyom's arrival.

Having returned home from her extended outing from Whitebark Stream, Chai had only made a quick pit stop through the heart of her wooded sanctuary for a quick check on the new mothers and the caches. The latter of which, seemed to be depleting as quickly as they were being filled. Her soft brows crinkled together thoughtfully and without any hesitation on her part, she exited the territory through its eastern most border. She found @Artyom on her way and asked him to join her, should he be able to spare some time away from his new family. The very same herd of Elk had passed through here recently, and she wasn't about to lose their trail.

Tracking down the herd into the sprawling valley, dotted with fuchsia blossoms, the scent of her prey grew stronger. But she was not alone. Two other wolves were already here, both sporting agouti coats. They were sizing up the Elk, piecing together the first stages of a plan. Chai stood still, in plain view. A lone figure in the distance at the head of the herd, a ways off, who had yet to spot her. She knew her alpha would be by her side, ever observant. Flagging her tail, ears pricked, she pointedly glanced between both males, broadcasting her availability to assist in the hunt.

The cubs were growing fast, having been swift to find both their feet and their teeth. Four sets of tiny, needling fangs on his hide in what he assumed to be communication of hunger was what drove him out of the whelping burrow that day. Artyom, wishing for only the best meal to feed his offspring, passed by a cache in preference of something fresher.

At nearly a month old, they were restless. There had been escape attempts, of course, but despite exhaustion both parents maintained a careful watch over them. As he roamed toward Whitebark outskirts in search of prey, he figured it might be a good opportunity to discuss their pups' first real steps into the world beyond the den upon his return.

Artyom was delighted to cross paths with Chai, who he greeted with warmth and enthusiasm as he shortened distance between them with a cheerfully wagging tail. With the gilded leader she shared an itch to hunt and, as the duo made their way after an unmistakable, strengthening aroma of elk, his gaze found the figures of two strangers. He quickened his stride to close ranks with Chai, moved closer to her and emitted a soft rumble to alert the other pair to their presence before he eyed them curiously. A slight narrowing of an earthen stare communicated his uncertainty: friend or foe?

Silently the two males had acknowledged eachother, and with neither one of them showing signs of aggression it seemed that they were both content to work as a team for the sake of a decent meal. This was confirmed as the darker-furred male quickly advanced towards him, moving to stalk barely foot away from his side. The dark hair along Niall's back bristled and the bridge of his muzzle wrinkled, a subtle warning for the stranger to move no closer. The pair were not properly acquainted after all and Niall had no plans to rub shoulders with the other wolf. 

Honeyed ears pricked up at the stranger's question, and his silver eyes darted away from the elk herd to flash across to the male. A silent nod of agreement was given in response. 

As they stalked closer to the herd, the elk began to disperse. The prey must have caught their scent on the breeze and started to panic. The two males held back, watching as the tight-knit group spread out across the valley. Niall's attention was drawn to one elk in particular, a female, who appeared to be limping on her right hind leg. The other male quickly confirmed the target, pointing it out to him. 

Niall scanned the herd again, but his attention was drawn away towards the front of the herd, where he spotted the silhuette of another wolf in the distance, who was quickly joined by a second. The pair seemed familiar with eachother, as suggested by their close proximity to eachother. It seemed as though the other pair had spotted them. Niall let out a grunt and pointed his muzzle towards them, alerting his hunting companion to their presence. 

It seemed as though they were all after the same thing, though Niall was unsure if the other pair would be willing to co-operate or would instead attempt to steal their target. The male's fur bristled again. They had spotted the weakened female so they would need to take her down quickly, before the other two caught on.

"Let's go." Niall ordered, a slight growl in his voice before he leapt forwards into a chase, glancing back only once to his larger hunting companion to see if he was following behind.

Kane heard the warning and said nothing, knowing such things owuld be expected. Eventually, the male confirmed cooperation and Kane nodded in acknolwedgement. Kane's intention wasn't to rub shoulders, but to work together. The pair of them moved forward silently through the grass as the elk herd continued to move. They hadn't been alerted to their presence yet, but something seemed to upset them. Kane's brows furrowed as he looked around, eyes finally settling on two other silhouettes that was also stalking the herd.

There were two other wolves ahead who had also spotted the herd. Were they going after their target? Possibly. Would they work together with Kane and the other male? Maybe not. There would be some sort of fight over the meat, but if they could all share, then a feast would be had and bellies would be filled. Being that the two strange wolves were strange, Kane had no idea if they were hunting with a pack by themselves. Regardless, Kane and the other male had to take the elk first. 

"Let's go."

The grumble from one of the other wolves sounded, and he waited for a response. As Kane watched him, the male was inquiring Kane and his partner. Kane waved his tail like a flag, indicating he can join them. While Kane conveyed that, he couldn't tell the other wolf to share as that would have to be discussed with the elk died. A nod of his head, swaying away from the new pair to "come on", Kane turned to watch his partner run.

The other male hurried, and Kane followed. Kane sped off into a run, mentally preparing what was to come. Kane sprinted ahead, keeping the eye of the female in view. As the herd spotted him, they began to disperse off while the limping female remained behind. The sudden movement may let the other wolves on to what they were doing, but by then Kane and the other male should have had a chance to get into position, right?

Chai was indecisive. Her ears swept back, glacial eyes darting from the pair towards the herd, where she easily spotted the injured elk. That was the target of the two males and she wouldn't feel right infringing on their selected meal. On the flip side, they were loners whilst she and Artyom were resident pack wolves, with mouths to feed. She gave her leader a glance, as if looking to him for guidance. 

Time was short. The strangers had already sprung into action, beginning their chase and panicking the herd. A signal from one of the males, by just a wave of his tail, gave the signal that they were welcome to join. Huffing nervously but with no small amount of determination, Chai broke out into a run. She eased herself into position, veering off to the left while keeping the injured Elk in her sights.

They all seemed to gaze at one another, uncertain, with the two unknown males perhaps even made irritated by the arrival of pack wolves. Artyom blinked and stood tall, unwilling to show any submission to the sharpness of any glowering stare shot his way. It didn't make sense to him if loners rejected the assistance of strangers willing to play their part so that everyone could have their share.

An invitation came, albeit a subtle one. Artyom shifted to exchange a glance with Chai so that he might guage her thoughts, but there was no need for communication. The she-wolf was off and the gilded hunter was swift to follow, striding along behind her and veering in the direction she did, keen to follow her lead.