Ouroboros Spine The captain's got his boots on
165 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#1
Limit Two 
With the influx of wolves now occupying the Spine, he felt that it might become slightly easier for them to band together and use their combined strength to hunt together more often. While Kukutux and Sialuk had been grieving, the pack had not been able to pull themselves together for many pack hunting opportunities as the few others in the pack set about scavenging. But Adrastus had been scouting the movements of the mountain goat herd, and had scouted them further with Sialuk one day. Now, they had moved up into the higher slopes, making them a less ideal source of food- but a small herd of deer had come in from the West, and it was those creatures he now stalked. 

He wondered if he might be able to rally a few packmates together to track down the deer herd, and select one to kill. It would be food enough to feed them all for some time, if they managed to cooperate and bring one down. From what he could tell from their tracks, there were nine deer in total, leading him to think that the odds that at least one of them was weak were a bit better. He continued tracking their scent, hoping he might cross paths with a packmate- temporary or not- to help him bring down a meal.
"Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats."
449 Posts
Ooc —
Offline
#2
The return of the deer had been long awaited by the artisan, though the elk herd had come home sooner than she thought they would given the swell of their ranks. Despite the growth of Moonglow's followers, the majority of their village remained in the upper heights of the Spine -- leaving the marshlands and forests surrounding the lake below for the grazers. 

She startled slightly upon rounding a bend in the undergrowth -- in the middle of tracking the red deer with the hopes that the injured members might still be available for culling -- not expecting to come across the broad build of the brumal guardian. Still, a hushed chuff escaped the mouse's lips as she padded closer, tail wagging at the sight of Adrastus. 
[Image: tumblr_inline_p7g2ubEPPb1ufb8ej_400.gifv]
165 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#3
He was not terribly surprised to see that Lótë was also on the trail of the deer. He greeted her with a smile, and moved forward to brush his muzzle against her cheekbone in a friendly, polite greeting. She was quiet on her feet, which meant she would likely be excellent at stalking, and would prove herself to be an asset to the hunters. While he was aware that she was an artist, he saw her worth as well when she offered her help in stalking the herd of the deer. He welcomed her with low huffs of his breath, and gestured that they should continue on together. 

"There are nine," He stated. "I believe. Have you come across this herd while tracking?" He asked, aware that she too had been studying the movement of the herds in their claimed packlands.
"Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats."
449 Posts
Ooc —
Offline
#4
The dove stilled momentarily, eyes downcast as something streaked through her with sudden, vicious heat -- like a piercing ray of summer sun -- though the brush of his muzzle was only polite and platonic. The herdstalker couldn't find it in herself to touch him in return, not even sure where or how would be appropriate. Instead she whet her chops with an uncertain sweep of her tongue and settled for remaining nonchalant, willing the hummingbird thrum of her heart to settle. 

"Aye," the morning dove rasped when she had calmed, falling in beside the Gamma with a submissive bob of her head. "They lived here once, before village Moonglow claimed the Spine. Our sudden presence startled them away but when they fled west to the foothills of the mountains, they found the grazing lands ruined by the strange storm. Some of the elk were injured."

"Likely they have returned. The survivors of village Glen linger in the borderlands but their settlement is new. Our tribe lives in the upper ring of the Spine so I think they have come home -- they will likely remain and graze in the lowlands around the lake as long as they are not over-hunted.''
The tracker had told Raimo much the same once and assumed that the warning she had given him had been shared amongst the hunters. They must respect this land that had given them so much and the bounty it provided. The herd of red deer who would live here were no different. 
[Image: tumblr_inline_p7g2ubEPPb1ufb8ej_400.gifv]
165 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#5
While she was still preparing her paints, it was clear that Lótë was an expert at keeping track of herd movements. This surprised him somewhat, as he thought that Kukutux had established that the men were primarily the hunters. Still- he pleased him greatly to know that she had knowledge, and that she was willing to work with him and share her discoveries with him. It did not go against the pack's laws, where he had grown up, for a female to have a prominent role amongst the hunters. Would Kukutus allow for such a thing here? If any were to be considered for a good position within a hunting party, he felt that Lótë would be a prime candidate. 

"I would like to get a closer look," He said, and indicated for them to prowl forward. From what he could tell, she seemed to want to let the herd get more established before beginning to hunt them. It was clear enough that she wanted to keep the herd within their reach, without over-hunting them and potentially drive them. off. "I wonder if any of the females are pregnant," He mused aloud, wondering if Lótë had taken note of that the last time she had tracked them.
"Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats."
449 Posts
Ooc —
Offline
#6
An unconscious tension melts from her shoulders at the nanuk's ready acceptance of her, a rare thing indeed especially where it concerned hunting. It was not a secret that the mouse could hunt, or at least trap small game, but neither was it common knowledge. Her skills lay mainly with tracking which many, including the wolves of the blackpine, had confused for hunting. It had been frowned upon for women of her native tribe to hunt but the orphan might've starved if not for teaching herself the essential skill, her uncle surely wasn't going to help her any. His painting had been brewing, he a master of the trade and oft lost in a stupor of his own creation. Most turned a blind eye to the pup's breaking of customs though this didn't mean there hadn't been whispers following after the dove. Harsher things once she'd outpaced the trackers amongst the hunting party of their clan. 

"Perhaps," the cloudberry voiced as she thought back, trying to recall if she had noted anything of the sort. "There might've been. I did see a few older calves, from last spring's rut. But I didn't get close enough to pinpoint any pregnant cows. They seemed edgy and I was afraid of displacing them further from the Spine," she admitted unabashedly. The aspiring Naturalist understood well the delicate balance of ecosystems and some tidy aspect of the reclusive girl hated to see them disturbed. 
[Image: tumblr_inline_p7g2ubEPPb1ufb8ej_400.gifv]
165 Posts
Ooc — Jess
Offline
#7
While they would need to hunt prey to survive, Lótë had been correct when she'd mentioned that it would be prudent not to over-hunt the herd. And so, knowing that she was an excellent eye, he was happy to have her with him as they tracked the herd down, if not to hunt then at least to observe. Depending on how many calves were expected to drop later in the Spring, they could decide exactly how much this particular family of herbivores could be hunted while still maintaining a healthy balance and not scaring them off. They would be more valuable a resource in the winter, and if they felt less pressured in the Spring, they might hang around longer.

A wise decision, He commented. If they had been flighty before, they might still spook easily, especially if there were pergnant animals in their midst. By now they might be far enough along that we can spot them from a distance...Take note of how many are expecting without having to get too close, He theorized.
"Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats."
449 Posts
Ooc —
Offline
#8
The dove smiled shyly at the unexpected praise, ears tipping back as her tail swished faintly. She felt warmth color her cheeks again, something that seemed to be happening more and more often in the icebear's presence. "Where do you think we should observe them from?" she asked him then, deciding it was best to stick to the topic of the elk herd -- she was never the best at making small talk.

"The woods are a bit thick around the lake but maybe there is somewhere in the upper ring where we might be able to see them fairly well?"  Lótë wondered aloud, muzzle gesturing towards the raised cliffs and peaks. 
[Image: tumblr_inline_p7g2ubEPPb1ufb8ej_400.gifv]