Duskfire Glacier i don't pay for suits

the dice gods said a flock of turkeys has been found roaming the glacier's claim. there's no obligation to join in & i'll try to keep the rounds short to three days per round w/no posting order to keep this moving rather quickly. @Tzila, @Kaster, @Eldritch, @Rye, @Ezrah. the older pups can come & watch @Wayfarer, @Veteran, @Ensio, @Arius. slight pp of @Makatza since she's ppc.

the early morning is cool, though even the hottest of days summer are made bearable with the cool air that radiates off of the glacier. wintersbane, though he desires otherwise, does not venture to the borders that morning; little makatza saunters along as his puppy-sized shadow. whether his older children have decided to tag along wintersbane isn't presently aware; busy trying to keep the single pup he had taken with him corralled. she had been awake when he'd left greyfall caverns and had been determined to tag along.

i want to show you something, lapsi, the tundrian rolls off of his tongue with ease; finding it good to use it again after so long. it was apart of him and apart of them and wintersbane feels like they should know it.

he'd been keeping a keen eye on a rather big flock of turkeys that he'd noticed in the claim a few days ago and once he was confident the birds had grown comfortable he'd made his decision to call the pack for a little hunt. you must keep your voice down or you'll scare them, wintersbane cautions, pitching his own smokey rasp low; to almost a whisper. i'll be calling the pack for a hunt ...and while you're not old enough to join us in a hunt just yet, watching should be rather exciting. if wintersbane thinks he's laid that on a little thick, he lets it known in the small twist of his scarred lips.

at the very least, it would be educational for her ( and hopefully the other kids ) ...and a nice bonding exercise for the pack ...and if they were lucky fill some of the caches.

the tell-tale gobble of the birds as they communicated to one another, the strange gait in which they walked as the grasses rustled beneath their talons grows louder and wintersbane stops in his tracks, encouraging the makatza to do the same with small clicks of his teeth if they got too over zealous.

there is our quarry. he gestures to the birds with a movement of his scarred muzzle, sinking down low to his belly in the grasses in the hopes it would encourage her to do the same. he sends up a short howl to call the attention of the pack and encourage any who wished to join to meet them.

Ezrah had kept much to himself since joining the pack. It wasn't intentional--he simply didn't run into the others all too often when he was keeping himself busy learning the territory, marking borders and exploring the areas surrounding the glacier to learn the locations and movements of nearby prey. Ezrah was used to being the one in charge of these things at home, and while he'd learned to delegate as he'd risen in the ranks, he'd never stopped performing the functions himself when needed. He simply wasn't that kind of leader.

When the call came, the ranger had been prompt to respond. He wasn't trying to impress anyone--that was simply his way. His eyes moved smoothly from Wintersbane to the small girl at his side who looked eager and determined. A smile flashed across his muzzle at the sight of her. He wasn't often soft, but children had always had a way of bringing that out in him.

Ezrah slipped quietly over to join them, not saying a word. He gave them both a dip of his muzzle in greeting before casting his gaze out thoughtfully at their quarry.

Wintersbane's gait was made slow by several sets of little legs, but Wayfarer trailed at a snail's pace in the rear. She sulked, and did not try to hide her sourness - Mom had been gone for several days and while time with Dad was great, she did miss her other parent. Not knowing how to communicate those feelings, she simply glared at her father's tail as he pressed on up front with a little girl who was not her.

What the hell was that all about? Why wasn't he favouring her? He was her Dad, after all!

If @Veteran slowed to accompany or comfort her in any way her, she'd make no effort to acknowledge his existence. Wayfarer would simply shrug her way past and rumble her frustrations, eager to get this stupid outing over with sooner rather than later.

At the time of his soft call, Tzila had been out, with @Arius and @Ensio in tow. The boys were still young, but growing rapidly. The watchful mother decided that today was as good as any to take them further from the relative safety of the rendezvous site, to familiarize them with the more important landmarks of the territory. But they were given stern instructions not to stray too far from her side, even for a second.

She thought back to last year, when rearing Sotiris. Perhaps she had been too overprotective with him. Had coddled him too much. This year she still could not quell her protective streak, but was determined not be suffocating. Young needed to explore and romp. Room to breathe, and yes, even learn small but important lessons on their own. Tzila would always be watching them with a hawks eye, more confident in knowing Wintersbane, their father, was always close at hand. It was his first time rearing children, but she had no doubt that he would be sterling parental figure.

Arriving with the boys closely following, Tzila was pleased to see @Makatza with her mate. Another agouti male she had not formally met, Ezrah, was also present. Wayfarer was there too. Quickly, the foraging group of turkeys caught her eye. An opportunity to be exploited. Before either of her sons could rush forward and spoil the hunt before it began, she hushed in a soft voice. "Step softly and don't get too close. You can watch, but you are too young for a hunt." She sent them a soft but firm glance and moved to join her husband at his side. Her steps were soft, silent. Her body kept slightly low to the ground. "I can't say I have had much experience in hunting prey of the feathered variety before..." Yet her tone was still optimistic, welcoming of the challenge.

Short post on my end, apologies

 


Eldritch came trotting quickly to the call. A hunt? Ah, yes...she needed to be active here. Needed to help. 
Some were already here, Wintersbane she recognized, but not Tzila or Ezrah, or the children being told to stay put.
Still, she paid it no mind, instead falling into line to catch the plan of attack on their quarry.

The shadow and ice boy was hot on the heels of Tzila, nipping softly at her legs when he felt she was too slow for his liking. Being outside, further away from that cave was great! He was on sensory overload and loving every minute of it. He glanced behind him, checking on the whereabouts of Arius and if he was keeping up. Whatever the case may be, the Duskfire plunged on ahead with vigor. Up ahead he saw the figures of his father and sister. And the red girl from before, too! He was ready to race ahead and greet them, only to be stopped by the voice of his mother, instructing him to stay put.

"Hmph." He fake pouted but then broke out into a mischievous smile, sneaking forward nearly on his tummy, eyes darting back between his mom and brother. Inch by inch, he scooted closer, testing just how much he could push his luck. Suddenly, the shapes of two larger adults grabbed at him. One earthy colored, one dark. He snuck by them, the clucking sound of the bizarre looking turkeys far more interesting. Hunching down low, tush in the air, he prepared to pounce. That is until a feather discarded by his paws delighted him. "Oohahh!" He all but screeched joyfully, batting at it between his paws, not realizing or caring that he might've startled their dinner.

Some assumptions in here, @Tzila and co. Message me if edits are needed, particularly about the nursing. Not quite sure how Tzila would react to that.

Wayfarer's sour mood had been stubborn and enduring, which Veteran could simply not understand. Sure, he missed their mother, but Tzila was almost as good, and they had Wintersbane looking after them too. After Lane had been gone a few days, the memory of her had faded considerably from Veteran's mind. He had adjusted to their new reality with a surprising resilience. 

With Wayfarer in such a piss-poor mood, Veteran had taken the opportunity to pal around more with his half-siblings. He enjoyed this immensely. While he had always seemed to lag behind Wayfarer developmentally, he was very well-matched with Tzila's slightly younger litter. He actually sometimes won his wrestling matches with Enzio, Arius, and Makatza. And sometimes, he even managed to sneak in and nurse a little bit with Tzila, who was a whole lot nicer about sharing her milk with her pups than Mama had been lately. 

Seeing his sister moping along in the rear of the group tugged at his little heartstrings though, and he did hang back to walk with her, despite her persistence in ignoring him. He bumped her shoulder as they walked along, trying to lift her spirits... and encourage her to trot a little faster, maybe.

They had only just returned from an adventure with mother. Arius hot on the heel of Ensio, watching the large shapes of the adults grow as the trio got closer. A morning spent exploring the vast expanse of home had left Arius quite tired but he wasn't ready to sleep yet, far too invigorated by the sight of his father, sister, and pack.

Mother told them to hang back for some inane reason; but she went ahead to greet their father, leaving Arius and Ensio to fend for themselves. While his brother scooted along in an effort to defy the will of their mother, Arius was drawn in to a similar study of the turkey scent. He was not smart enough to make himself low, quiet, or slow; he dashed for freedom while the adults intercepted his brother.

Crowing at the top of his lungs: MA! Ahaama!