Sleepy Fox Hollow tropfen blut

optional pack hunt + prompt involvement <3 @Wylla @Tierra @Waxwing @Paeon @Anselm @Emmerich @Etienne

an abundance of prey is noted in the teekon

with his mate pregnant and the pack possessed of several strong younger wolves, his sons included, mahler decided it was high time that paleo sought a greater kill from inside the hollow.
the cliff above the waterfalls had tempted a great deal of deer into the territory of sleepy fox, springbright grass shifting to a rich jade hue as summer went on.
mahler had seen several herds pass through already, and knew that the passes into paleo were narrow. a retreat would not be so easy.
thus this day he rose, and howled for the others. meat, in the hours to come, and hopefully good lessons to be had.
his large shadow fell across the land, and mahler felt keenly the insistence that they succeed in their hunting.

Etienne had heard the call and for a brief moment he thought about ignoring it. He was still feeling sorry for himself and frankly he wasn't a good hunter. Oh he could drive, but that was about it. He hated taking life, even if it were necessity. Honestly, it had been one of the reason's he hadn't eaten much on his trip. That and his stomach rolled everytime.

But it would be a cruelty and disrespectful not to arrive with a leader call. His mother had instilled a great sense of morality, manners and respect in the youth and thus he went.

Golden eyes took in the green swaying grass. He had seen the herds too. Many more deer than he had ever laid eyes on and for a moment a sharp pang of homesickness hit him. And a dose of loneliness. Theo would love this. He'd be the first one there to hunt. Suzu would help, but she'd prefer eating the meat to hunting it. That drew a smile to his small muzzle and a soft tear to his eye.

He stood behind the leader, smaller and lankier than the powerhouse in front of him.

Anselm came, bold and strident. His gaze flickered over the newcomer who stood in Mahler’s shadow. A newfound confidence came to Anselm in these recent months, for he had found his own purpose in the myriad of scents in the world. 

He too had seen the influx of cervine presence. His mouth watered with none of Etienne’s trepidation as he waited his father’s world the hunt had begun.

Tierra hadn’t quite gotten out on her trip yet but she was planning to soon. It wasn’t like it was urgent, and there was a ton of stuff to do here, right? Besides - it was, like, super friggin hot out. Muggy days were pretty much the absolute worst.

Her ears pricked up at Mahler’s call and for a moment she considered not going. Then she remembered he was pretty old and kinda rickety, probably, and she wasn’t that disrespectful. She probably shouldn’t leave gramps to hunt for himself.

When she showed up she was glad she had, because the only other one here was some guy she didn’t know. Oh, and crying boy, but… did he count? Could he hunt?

Whatevs. Tierra waltzed her way up to Mahler and grinned, looking past to see if she could spot what he was looking at. What’s on the menu, boss?

Whatever it was, she was definitely going to look good taking part in this hunt. These boys would be totally falling over themselves to get on her good side after!

They were called to hunt.

Emmerich was more of a guardian of the hollow than he was a supplier of great meats. He was capable, yes. It simply had never blossomed as a passion in the boy. He took pride in the protection that he offered their corner of the mountain.

For some time, he debated joining his father. The white-hooded son paced the trees with his ears pointed toward the summons. It was not until he had captured Anselm’s scent that he decided to engage with the hunting party. Emmerich set a steady pace and made his way toward Mahler. It wasn’t long before he found his place at his brother’s side. Hawk yellow eyes fixed on their father.

Wylla arrived behind the pack's youth, moving at a slower pace that clearly communicated both her age and her current status. She could feel in her bones that her pregnancy would soon be at its end, and so her presence today was for the sheer joy of running alongside her packmates. Mahler would murder her if she risked herself or their unborn children by behind more involved that that.

She recognized Tierra and Etienne from when they had been conversing in the distance, but she knew neither wolf well, so gave them only a brief glance of her yellow eye. For her sons, she had a wagging tail and a quietly whined greeting as she bumped each of their snouts with her own. They were so big and strapping now, the pair of them, and she was beyond proud to see them ready to hunt alongside their father.

Her thoughts turned to the others — Isa, Phaedra, Thade, Stag, and yes, even Tiercel — and she hoped each of them were well fed and safe, wherever they were. Now she turned her eye upon her mate, awaiting his command.

The last to arrive, but still not feeling as though he were tardy, Waxwing found himself an outsider among family. He briefly caught sight of the scary girl he had stammered at before, and the silent Vylla who Waxwing knew only by sight. There was also the man about his age whom had stalked him. But! There was Mahler, and Waxwing had felt the beginnings of a kinship with the older man. He was determined to fit in here one way or another, and what better way than to arrive here and help in the hunt.

He settled quietly in the back of the group, attentive.

no posting order! <3 ill post in another week or when everyone has posted again!

 

etienne was first to arrive, and a rumbling chuff from mahler that signaled the man's approval. anselm next, receiving a warm look, and then tierra. the young woman's playful greeting brought a smile to his face, and he gestured toward a cluster of pregnant does, but spoke not.
emmerich was next, and mahler looked with steady confidence toward the son who had followed he and wylla into guardianship. yet the boy was reluctant to leave the hollow, and the gargoyle knew he must somehow show emmerich that such forays were indeed necessary to know the enemies which might come to the borders — or the opportunities that lay without.
wylla was next to appear, and mahler waved his tail with a low croon, greeting her affectionately before the pack. that he wanted her to stay back was unsaid, for he knew he did not need to remind her of such things. he met her eye and then welcomed waxwing with a friendly flick of his ears.
"the deer are caught between that single oak and us, now," mahler began. "if ve frighten them and keep them corralled, they vill leap from those falls into the lake below." it was a strategy that relied on a strong holding line and the eventual stupidity of deer, but mahler hoped it would also lessen the chances of any injury.
"vonce they are in the vater, it is only a matter of holding them there until they are too exhausted to fight." he looked to each of paleo in turn, then grunted and turned toward the grazing masses. "vaxving, etienne, vylla, vith me." he knew his mate would not involve herself closer to the hooves than was safe, but keeping her in his party satisfied some greatly anxious part of mahler.
"emmerich, anselm, und tierra, together." if paeon came along, he might place her with himself. "in two groups ve go up, ja? form a vide line, keep them from escaping around the edges." he wanted to convey each direction; today was not one to rely upon gambits, for success would feed the pack a good while if they triumphed.
when it seemed as though his instruction had been taken, mahler turned with wind whispering upon his nape, and began to move through the tall grass toward a point which would terrify the deer back toward the cliffline.

Etienne shifted and listened. Golden eyes on the creatures and then back to Mahler. It seemed he would be with the two leaders. He could handle spooking. Though he was worried about Wylla the other leader. Whom he hadn't officially met yet. But he also knew that pregnant wolves knew their limits better than most everyone so he would watch and hope she was one such.

He stalked behind the two leaders, body low to the ground. He would help spook. This he could do. Eti wasn't much of a hunter. This was true, but he would try his best to make sure he did his job well.

They were instructed to break apart into two groups. The young guardian glanced to his brother and Tierra with a stoic nod and a thin-lipped expression. It would be a good show, having the three of them grouped together to strike. The other party was competent, of course. Emmerich merely had higher expectations for himself and his brother.

The yellow-eyed son nudged at Anselm's shoulder. His gaze shifted to Tierra with a faint wave of his tail. Her presence in Paleo had been noted. The scent of the girl could be found woven into the markings on their borders. Emmerich didn't know much about her beyond that. He figured he did not need to know her to hunt with her.

Determination sprouted in his eyes. His nose hungered to track the deer.

lol'd at "eventual stupidity of deer"

Anselm stood at attention, his bright gaze falling on each that arrived after him. Tierra was regarded with something akin to interest; the cocksure manner in which she strode to Mahler spoke of an ease between the two of them that Anselm became acutely jealous of.

His gaze passed Etienne - for at this moment in time, their rivalry had yet to grow teeth - and wondered what wind brought this boy here.

Emmerich and Wylla arrived next. Each were given the soft thump of his nose.

Last to arrive but by no means late was the man he'd stalked in the woods; he hung in the rear as if worried fangs may turn upon him.

Mahler's voice cut across the crowd, instructing each of them to their duties. Anselm jostled his brother in return, giddily setting into formation once Mahler bid them to move.


Happy Hunting, he thought wryly to himself as his sights fell upon the deer.

Glad to have a job and to be welcomed into the group with Mahler and Vylla, "Vaxving" was happy to oblige. He found himself more at ease when he had instruction, and he fell into line beside the other young male, Etienne. Hiya, he said, offering a friendly smile to both the other young male and Mahler's wife. He was eager to prove his worth among this new group. And perhaps his title of gamekeeper would be more clear to the two girls who had seemed to think "anyone" could hunt.

Edit: Wylla is an NPC as of August 6, 2023, which means I can no longer post here with her. Please powerplay her for the rest of the hunt! <3 She will run alongside Paleo, but won't actively engage and is out of reach of any deer due to her pregnancy!

One more wolf trickled in, and it was then that Wylla realized nearly every wolf in attendance was a youth. Only herself, Mahler, and Tierra were any older than a yearling, and the latter had maybe a year on her sons. She had confidence in Anselm and Emmerich, of course, but their hunting today might suffer from a lack of experience.

It struck her, then, that beneath her notice, Paleo had become something of an orphanage.

That wasn't the sort of pack she had envisioned. She decided the birth of their newest children would bring an end to the era of Paleo adopting every stray whelp that crossed their borders, and while it wasn't her decision to make, she made it all the same. Until there were a few more proper adults bolstering their ranks, whether by joining or by these youths growing up, Paleo could not afford to take in any more stray juveniles. She would not risk their newest pups going hungry because of a lack of hunting expertise.

All this went on behind an implacable mask; she passed her mate a reassuring smile when he requested that she join his group, but otherwise her attention remained on the deer as she tried to quell the twisting knot of uncertainty in her belly. She advanced with her group, mindful of the distance kept between her and the deer ahead.

Three adults and four yearlings. She supposed those odds weren't so bad, but they were worse than she would prefer them to be. She simply had to hope none of the yearlings grew nervous and broke ranks.

next round up in another week! <3

likewise, mahler hoped the same. but to know not to run, a yearling boy must be confronted by a charging deer. or so he thought in his more olden philosophies. everyone seemed to understand their roles. mahler was more confident in his with so many younger wolves to lend their stamina and speed to the hunt.
as the line of wolves straightened in their approach, mahler broke into a trot, then a run. his gallop was thunderous, his head lowered and ears pinned for a streamlined approach.
the first stag bleated, then a doe, then another, until the deer were a chaotic and horrified mass of fleeing bodies, retreating toward the cliff.
one buck attempted to veer around mahler's party. a snarl and a snap of hard jaws sounded as the man attempted to herd it back among the others.
he glanced toward his sons and tierra.
the milling mass of cervine panic splashed into the falls, and with a drop behind them, the stags began to lower their antlers and stomp. one ran in sheer foolishness for the wolves, hoping to break through and perhaps make a way for the others.

Etienne used his lanky frame to race with the leader of the psck. Body boldly tossed at the deer. Herding them one way and another. Teeth gnashing. Golden eyes narrowed in concentration.

He hated hunting. Hated this, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do what he was taught and he found these weren't as scary as the bison they had hunted (was it bison danni can't remember). And there was a careful consideration in his mind for pregnant female among them. So he wanted to do his best so she didn't have to do much.

Anselm's attention was divided between the form of his parents and the nervous shuffling of deer. He vied to imitate Mahler's bold swag, and Wylla's watchful wisdom --  he neither broke rank nor boldly subdued the deer.

One stag was braver -- or more desperate -- than the rest. Mahler countered its break in rank with a fierce show of teeth that incentivized Anselm to bare his own; he looked far fiercer than he felt.

While Wylla pondered Paleo's descent into orphanage, Anselm worried for her and the life burgeoning inside of her -- it was his own inexpertise that kept him grounded and unable to break rank to bring down their prey.

let's make this last round or second to last <3

terrified by the line of wolves who advanced, the deer retreated and began to stare wildly at the falls and the drop below. mahler led the run in a sweeping arc, water splashing his powerful limbs and chest.
deer leapt in flight. the water reddened and churned with their bleating. "break!" mahler shouted, and led his party down the flank of the terrain.
a weakened doe was hauling herself from the bank. he snapped for her, jaws closing around sodden throat.
paleo would eat well and have much for itself later. at least two other deer had not survived the fall, and now bobbed limply against the curve of the lake.

Etienne eyed the other two deer that bobbed there and as an ocean wolf he was used to deep waters that were sometines stronger.

So he stepped into it and swam sideways to grasp one of the deer and at the very least tangle it at the bank. He of course would take help. He wasn't sure if he could do it all by himself, but he was determined to be helpful.