The Spilt Blood Spreads Round and Round

Time for a pack hunt! :D Try to keep the posts short, but nothing below the needed amount of characters. There's no posting order, and the time limit for each round is three days. Each person is expected to post at least once every round, as well. No arrival post is needed, as you're just assumed to be there. Let's have some fun with this. c:

Participants: @Burke @Grimnir
Prey: Bison.
Weather: Fair, some clouds in the sky.
Time of Day: Early afternoon.
Location: Outside of Blackfeather, within the space between BFW, Big Salmon Lake, and RHC (look here for a general visual of the area).

The last hunt he'd gone on with pack mates had been a success, and as the pale wolf and his companions stalked a maternal group of bison from afar, he could only hope that they would have the same amount of luck. With a scan of the small herd, it was safe to say that the only males within it where those still young and, hopefully, inexperienced when it came to the workings of a hunt. Still, each one was large, and the group of wolves that was to chase them was small; consisting of no more than three. It would be a struggle, there was no denying it, but their goal was to bring down only one.

“We'll need to discretely scout them out,” Kove stated, voice low. They were still a safe distance from the large creatures, but it's better to be safe, rather than sorry. “Find one that's old, wounded, or just sick, then drive them away from the rest.” If they allowed the fact that they were working to hunt the beasts to come out into the open, then they would lose their chance to catch any. Bison are one of the smarter prey animals, and sometimes even fight back if they feel it to be necessary. “Signal the others quietly, and don't get yourselves trampled.”

Never in my life did I ever expect to research bison as much as I did in a span of thirty minutes.

The large grey was low to the ground once they spotted the bison herd. His keen blue eyes were already scanning over each animal to find a weakness. He was a skilled hunter and he had provided for his pack before, hopefully his recent joining wouldn't cause any miscommunications. "If you want, brother Kove, I can get closer and report my findings. From here it is difficult to see a limp or a sickness," he pointed out. Burke wanted to intervene that they should divide some tasks. Who was going to chase the prey, and who was going to make the kill? Or were they all allowed to make the kill? Burke slowly moved into a sitting position from where he was hunched down before.

He had the most weight compared to the other two. Yet, Burke was not the speediest or most flexible one. He would be fine just chasing after one bison but maybe his weight could help in the process. "Brother Kove... Tasks perhaps?," he spoke. It was quite the challenge to not take the lead here. He was used to being an alpha, and leader of a hunt. It wasn't like he didn't respect Kove's leadership it was just an old habit to be in charge. Burke not trying to disrespect Kove was already saying a lot.

Grim watches the bison with golden eyes narrowed. He has never hunted such large animals before. They are great beast. Their bulk seems to be more around their front, thick heads low to the ground. Horns protrude from their skulls like the deer he would prefer hunting. This will be a hard challenge for him. He has never hunted with a pack before. Nor has he hunted something so large. He listens to the advice of the one named Kove, and then the suggestion of Burke. Grim still has yet to figure out if he likes either of the two. Though no usual thoughts of trying to kill them enter his mind. That portion of him is more focused on killing one of the great Bison. Burke would probably be better off bringing the large animal down. Grim lifts a lip at that. As much as he would prefer to drag one of the beast down himself, they are rather large and Burke's weight would be more suited to the task. Perhaps Grim can make the killing blow then? He is always too eager to oblige to his inner voices that tell him to bring death to the world. With the pack now knowing his true self, he will not have to hold back. But then he believes that all of them probably want to make the killing blow. Kove has more right to that than either Grim or Burke since he is leading this hunt. A low growl vibrates in his chest. Maybe they will be too busy fighting among themselves to even make a kill. He waits to hear Kove's instructions before voicing anything.

The alabaster man looked to the older wolf, contemplating on what they should do. Having each of them get closer would be ideal versus just one, as they would be able to cover more ground that way, but he wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Grimnir with a task such as acting as is he was not hunting. The murderous wolf had proven already that his instincts lingered solely on the act of killing, more or less, but such intentions being known would do nothing but spook the large, horned creatures. As soon as that thought was in his mind, he'd made his first decision. “Do that, but as I said, don't make it seem as if you're scouting them out,” Kove said, then looked between the two wolves for a second.

“Burke, locate a bison that you deem weakened enough for us to take down, and then report back,” he started, his tone making it clear he had more to say. “The three of us will work together to herd it away from the rest of them after that.” The plan was a simple one, he knew, but there was a chance ti could work. The possibility of killing one wasn't overly high due to their sheer size, but the white wolf was confident in the abilities of his pack mates and himself. “After we've gotten a decent length away, you and I will work to weaken the creature further. Bites to the legs, or stomach and sides, just anything you can come up with that will be helpful in taking it down.” His eyes were focused on Burke's form, making it clear he was the one the pale man was speaking to. “Grimnir, you'll be responsible for the killing blow. I'm sure you can handle that well.” As the words left his mouth, he awaited for any protests, though he was sure none would come. If none came, he would give a silent motion signaling for the older brute to head out and scout the creatures, and then one for Grimnir and himself to get a bit closer—though they would continue to stay a decent length away so as not to frighten the large animals.

Burke immediately bobbed his head in return. He had his keen blue eyes ready to spot any type of weakness. The large grey was ready to stalk some Bison. After he got his orders the large male started to make his way down into the valley. He knew bison couldn't see that well, they relied on scent. Burke located the wind and made sure to approach the bison without his scent being blown to the cautious animals. The older male also knew how to use the landscape. He stayed behind the sloping landscape to hide his grey body from possible sighting.

Burke laid down in the snow. His masked face glancing just above the snow. He studied the group, watching every single individual. He spotted a few healthy females, until slowly coming from the center was a weaker one. There seemed to be a limp in her step. His eyes squinted. No, there was no limp? Yet, it seemed more lethargic than the others. She was not finding any food. Burke knew enough and turned around to join with the other two. "There is a female, the only one not finding food. I thought there was a limp but I am not sure. She does look lethargic and not very eager to walk along with the others. I say we pick that one," he briefed.

A grin spreads across Grim's muzzle as Kove offers the killing blow to him. It surprises him a bit. He would have thought the male would want the satisfaction of it himself. But he won't question it. A red tongue darts out to wet his lips before gliding across sharp teeth and settling back in his mouth. Delicious. His golden eyes spot the female that Burke has brought to their attention and gazes hungrily at it. Will they be taking some if this creature back to feed the pack? It will be an annoying chore to drag such a heavy thing back. If he must though, he won't challenge it.

When the large wold returned and reported his findings, Kove kept his mouth shut and listened. His eyes trailed over each of the bison until he found the one being spoken of, copper orbs lighting up with the idea of a hunt. He enjoyed them a lot, and even more so when working with other wolves. Something about it seemed to be peaceful and entertaining. “Sounds like a great target,” he said, eager to get to work on it. Though his legs and body were ready for a good chase, he kept himself settled so as not to risk blowing the entire hunt to pieces. The idea was to try and “herd” the female away from the others, but they needed to act fast. One error or slip up could result in all the bison banding together, and if that happened their chances were gone.

“Alright then, lets go,” Kove said, his gaze not leaving the target. “We need to get it as far away form the rest of the herd as we can, and quickly. Watch out for those horns.” With that, the white wolf started off towards the bison, not waiting for any comments from the others. Though his legs were long, he forced himself to move close to the ground in an attempt to go unnoticed. In theory, herding the bison from the herd would be a simple thing to do, and he was sure it would go just as planned. If not, improvising could work just as well.

Burke was pleased that they approved of this found target. The large grey moved with Kove. Burke would have wanted to howl so they would know their arrival but he went with the pale white and followed his path. Burke wasn't the fastest after all. He needed Kove's tracks to get faster through the deeper snow. He noticed how the bison was getting more to the edge of the herd perfect. Eventually Burke sprang forward and moved between the bison and its herd. Burke wasn't sure if he liked being between these brutes. The targeted bison jumped away from the heard. Now it was up to Kove and Grimnir to herd it further away. They were lighter on their feet in this deeper snow.

The masked male panted heavily as he turned around and went after the whole herd, howling and growling to send the beasts running. It seemed to work because they moved into a big group gathering their young in the middle. While the prey was busy with that Kove and Grim could block the other female from returning to her group. Burke eventually retreated before he got a horn between his ribs, rejoining Kove and Grim.

if i need to change anything let me know!

Grim stuck with Kove while the big brute of a wolf went to rile up the herd. The female that Burke had pointed out was slow to move to join it's herd, so Grim took the opportunity and left Kove's side to try to wedge himself between the group of bison and the sickly female. He snapped his jaws at it's legs, growling low in his chest. The female bulks from him. Grim smiles. Seperating this one was easy. Now it was time for them to try to bring her down.

His smile disappears underneath slight worry. His confidence in trying to bring such a large bulky creature down was not as high as he would have liked. The experience with something this large is zero. Ears flatten against his head, he lunges in to take a bite of the bison. Its head moves down, horns flashing towards him. Grim quickly retreats, but not without gaining a bruise from a horn that has managed to clip his side. He shakes it off. The horn didn't pierce his skin. A simple wound, nothing he can't handle.

Had it not been for the red print on his shoulder and the darkness of his eyes and nose, seeing Kove move around above the snow would have been a difficult task. His ghostly fur helped him when it came to the hunt, as bison possess poor eyesight. The only problem was that they made up for it with good hearing and sense of smell, making the long-legged wolf's coat essentially useless in aiding them. That couldn't stop him from running at and around the grand beast, however, and certainly didn't keep him from nipping and snapping at it's legs and sides. He wanted to target the front legs, as the animals looked top heavy, but those horns kept him away. He went after the hind legs, his lean body getting grazed often when the beast would try to kick him away.

“Burke,” he called out, an idea coming to mind as he worked to loop around to the other side of the bison. “Think you could try and headbutt it's side? Try to break something if you think you can, it'll make it easier to bring it down.” Before his last words had left his mouth, Kove had already maneuvered himself around to the other side of the bison, his jaws snapping and biting at it's legs and hind quarters.

As Burke rejoined with the other two he instantly got a command from Kove to do something about this running beast. Grimnir seemed to have suffered a bit. The large male jumped forward, tongue hanging out to let off his heat. The male launched himself at the limping knee at full force. Crap that hurt. Everything for his pack. He at least heard a satisfying crack and the massive animal tumbled forward in the snow. Burke was just in time to back off. Now he himself a bit of a limp too. His shoulder hurt. It was up to Grim to make the kill.

The large tank instantly laid down in the snow, making him cool down. He overheated quickly and it was a relief for his throbbing shoulder. No matter they had the beast now. The herd ran into another direction and hopefully wouldn't return. Even if the herd would come back the wolves would return too. They would want the bison with the broken knee as their meal.

Burke had managed to bring the large beast down. Grim narrows his eyes at the brute. He will have to keep the large wolf's strength in mind if they ever got in a fight. With the bison down, he lunges forward with jaws wide. Teeth meet the beast's throat, the thing's horns barely missing his head. With a loud snarl, Grim rips the flesh from the bison. Hot blood flows freely, bright against the pure white snow. He lunges in again to take another bite. It isn't necessary but the taste of the large creature has his stomach growling and begging for more. Grim knows the beast will be dead in a short amount of time. He steps back to watch with a wide smile. "Well done, Burke."

Last round, guys. Congrats on the successful hunt!

In all honesty, the pale being had not expected the idea to go as well as it did. Sure, it had resulted in the tank sporting a limp of his own, but his weight and force had been enough to break the knee of the bison and that was more important. It meant that the creature had a very slim chance of escaping them, and even if it did it wouldn't live long anyways. A broken knee in such a large creature would never go unnoticed, and it would end up being the target of many wolves to come. Lucky for them, though, the efforts would not be in vain. It hadn't taken long after for the violent male to dart in for the kill, which he executed just as wonderfully as Kove had been expecting.

While the bison laid dying, the white wolf watched as the blood drained from it's wounds and the life from it's eyes. He gave a nod to the creature once the last sliver of life forced slipped away from it, then turned his attention to his fellow hunters. “Very good job to the both of you,” Kove stated, his gaze slowly drifting over to Burke—or, more particularly, his shoulder. “You should have Meldresi check that out once we return home, just to be on the safe side.” With his snout, he pointed to his shoulder to make his words more clear, then turned back to look at the bison's body. “I'm sure our fellow pack mates will be glad to see this,” he said, heading towards the beast as he did so. Getting such a large thing back to the Woods would surely be one hell of a task, but one well worth the trouble.

Burke limped to the heavy snow towards the bison Grimnir was killing. The tank of a male was going to make sure that he animal would not escape. He jumped up on the prey's side and stood on top of it until the last breath came from the bison. Burke let out a victory howl to notify their pack. "Thank you, Grim. You too," Burke nodded courtly. His shoulder was still throbbing. He ignored it for now. He might go to see Meldresi later like Kove advised.

The charcoal male hopped down and wanted to feed a least some of the fresh juicy meat they just took down. Once the meat was frozen up, it would take a while for it to defrost. "I will Kove. For now, lets reward ourselves."

Grim doesn't think much of Burke's shoulder wound. He was a large male. The brute would be fine. If the male decided to go crying to a healer, then Grim would laugh. To seek the aid of a healer is to be weak. He eyes the fresh bison as the large brute says for them to reward themselves. The scent of blood and the promise of a full stomach has Grim eagerly bounding forward for a mouthful. He doesn't consider who should have the first bite. That doesn't matter to him. A growl sounds from his stomach as he tears a piece of flesh from the bison. Drool drips from his jaws, foaming over the animal. He swallows, then turns and snaps at Burke as the male gets closer. A snarl vibrates in his chest. This upper portion of the beast is Grims.