Hangry Hangry Hippo

RE: NIGHT'S WATCH
Standing packs, in light of the impending heavy snowfall and dire conditions Relic Lore is adopting by the hour, either keep their Scouts close or send them off in search of resources.

@Gent @Naia @Maksim

^Good posting order for you guys?

Though their initial welcome to the forest had been one of predatory success, it had been too long since any of the Hollowheart Keep wolves had seen trace of any sort of prey- even such small things as squirrels and rabbits had seemingly vanished from the area completely. No tracks or scent led to any nooks or crannies where they could hide from the cold and danger of being hunted...So it seemed as though they had vanished into thin air, and left shortly after the wolves made their new home in the forest.

As the Scout, it was Sagacity's job to try and find any sign of prey, with the pack growing more and more hungry. It was imperative that they find some sort of food- their caches were growing fewer and fewer, and the wolves became hungrier and more irritable. Sagacity found herself roaming further and further from the pack's borders, returning empty-handed and exhausted. She felt as though she was failing her pack, even though she couldn't control the migration of the herds, nor could she or anyone have predicted how dire their circumstances would become.

So the Scout set out on what she felt would be one of her most perilous scouting missions- to try and find some form of food or trail which would lead to where the herds had gone. And she did not set out alone- the dark, streamlined beauty of a yearling came with her, azure eyes glinting and eager. He had ambition and she was happy to have someone with her whose energy and spirits were higher than her own. For some reason, Sagacity had a feeling that their search would not be fruitful.

It surprised her to find the tracks of wolves frequenting the Cedarwood Forest area. She'd not been aware that a pack had settled in this place, but she hadn't been out scouting in quite some time, and the wolves formerly of Nomad's Pass hadn't exactly been in on the Relic Lore gossip scene. No, they were too hipster. Too cool for @RLGossip. They'd been on Twitter before it was cool and had long since left.

So she felt somewhat wary being in the area, which was obviously the home of a new pack of wolves. Her fur bristled with irritation and she sneered quietly to herself. "We'll tell Naira about this when we get back." She said. As always, her alpha would want to know about the packs living closest to them- even if the wolves of this area weren't exactly next-door neighbours. Naira would need to know that a pack was in this area, and therefore it was off-limits for hunting. She resented not being able to hunt in the forest and search for tracks- it was one of the few places she'd had hopes of finding anything, and now that hope was gone.

Avatars by Arla!

Gent was highly irritated, but he did everything he could to hide this. He simply couldn't understand his wretched luck. If he hadn't made Nomad's Pass such an important goal, he wouldn't be so worn thin. He'd be in a pack with a cache, rested, safe. He hated these thoughts, and so they made him all the more determined to change that luck. He'd joined forces with the pack's second, a scout that Gent had swiftly learned was well respected within their ranks and had very much so earned that sentiment, and had come to the resolution that they would find something, anything, to bring back to Hollowheart Keep. This gave him spirit, which gave him strength; a hundredth wind. When they entered the forest, the traces of fellow wolves both excited and deterred him. Their presence could either mean that the land was picked clean, or that there was a boon of prey nearby to sustain them. Where Sagacity seemed to hover, Gent pressed forward, that small slim chance making his mouth water. His breaths deepened, desperate to pick up the scent of flesh that wasn't wolf, and within a few moments, he was rewarded; slight and dulled, but still there, he picked up on the airborne traces of a cache. This was where he stopped, swinging his arctic eyes toward his comrade. "Do you think it could be easy?" he asked. Or insanely stupid? "Stealing a scrap?" After all, in dire situations, didn't you take dire chances to survive?

OOC|| -gulp- Hangry Naia scares me...||

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Naia watched the pair move through her woods from her concealed position beneath a withered briar bush. A deep inhale brought their distant scents to her nose, barely discernible in the still, frigid air. They smelled familiar somehow, and Naia's brow wrinkled in annoyance at her inability to place the smell. One fact was certain though: they were pack wolves, and therefore had no business sniffing around the Cut Rock River border unannounced. Keep going, move along... she silently willed them, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the pair. She was feeling a little petulent this morning, which was out of character for her, but most likely due to the ache deep within her empty belly. The caches were not empty yet, though every day her family members were able to provide less and less for the pack's stores. If the older wolves didn't cut back on their consumption, soon there would be nothing left to nourish the pack's three rapidly-growing pups. This was unacceptable in Naia's eyes, so instead of feeding this morning she had tightened her proverbial belt and pushed on to her border patrol.

Her ears flicked forward as she heard the dark-pelted male speak, and the still air transmitted every word. The Timber lady's honey eyes widened in surprise, and a rage unlike any emotion she had ever experienced ignited within her. The longer she served within Makisim's ranks, the more her own feelings and reactions surprised her. Was pack life changing her? The relaxed, easygoing wolf Naia had known herself to be was vanishing, replaced by a diligent and protective pack wolf that did NOT take kindly to what this stranger was suggesting..

A warning bark burst from within her as she swiftly rose from her position, barley noticing the brittle briar limbs snapping around her. The bark echoed through the trees, and it would surely alert @Maksim or any other nearby packmate to the intrusion. In a few leaps she was standing before the pair, bristling and growling as she snarled her own answer to male's question, ”I wouldn't count on it.” She paused to size up the brawny yearling, her usual cautious intuition silenced by newfound feelings of protective aggression. Though he was young, the lad possessed a solid and muscled build, suggesting he would grow into a large and formidable man. He seemed weakened though, as if he had been starved or exposed to the elements as of late.

”Return to your own borders immediately, and we can forget this meeting happened.” Her gaze then flicked to the yearling's female companion, indicating that her words also applied to the silver lady. Though the young male was the one who had spoken, she was guilty by association. Now that she was closer to the two, she knew why they smelled so familiar. While traveling the Pass as a loner in these lands last spring, she had run into a grumpy wolf from the pack that resided on the Great Mountain. It was not an enjoyable experience, as Naia ended up getting run off with her tail between her legs. These two reeked of his scent-- had he become their leader? The thought of it boiled Naia's blood, and another snarl erupted from her throat. She would turn the tables now and send these wolves of his scrambling, or they would face her wrath.

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Sagacity stiffened slightly as her partner moved forward. He was an ambitious fellow, or so she judged- he'd been one of the leaders of their moving party and now he seemed willing to trespass into another pack's lands in order to raid a cache. While Sagacity had robbed other wolves of their meals before- more than once- trespassing was something better done in a group large enough to fight back should the pack be alerted to their presence. She remembered a raid from the year previous to this one- they'd been quite successful, but they'd had a good group and had been quick about it.

She was just about to reply to Gent and rein him in when she heard a sharp bark. "That's your answer," She said under her breath, not even sure Gent heard the comment because it was answered with a much louder voice by the female. She was nearly as tall as Sagacity in height, if not only a hair shorter, but her body wasn't as long, giving Sagacity a definite weight advantage without sacrificing speed, which was her main asset. Gent was larger than both of them- standing quite a bit taller than Sagacity, and stretching out at least a foot longer. Together, they were both greater in strength- but she was backed by a pack which would likely be close by.

Normally, Sage would have been more reasonable- but the female's approach was exceedingly hostile and Sage was so hungry and frustrated that she couldn't even see past the fact that had their roles been reversed- had Sage been the one defending her own borders, she would have been just as aggressive, if not more. But she was too tired and hungry to think straight, and snarled back, flattening her ears. "Your pack is new; I'd been expecting to hunt here." She said, with a hint of spite. Part of her wanted to take the woman down, simply because she knew that she and Gent could do it. She looked to her partner, wondering if he thought the same. She didn't say it, but wanted to catch his gaze nevertheless. They really ought to leave...But she was hungry, and hunger made her wild.

Avatars by Arla!

ooc: edited post to reflect the health drop below, just so this post actually has a purpose. permission to naia to mildly pp in order to engage gent in a fight. Shit. He should've kept his mouth shut, it was a mistake that was completely his own and that added to his frustration. Made him more apt to continue making mistakes. Despite the training he'd endured as a child, he was absolutely not prepared for these levels of hunger, exhaustion, and futility. All of which directly fueled his anger and led to impulsive actions. Led to actions like those that were about to follow. He reflected her ferocity; what had just moments before been the smooth curves of his silhouette turning jagged and violent. Every shift of his posture asserted dominance as he utilized his full height, a scowl twisting his face before he bared his fangs and took a menacing step forward. Sagacity's refusal to back down gave him courage, however misguided it might be. However, he wasn't blind to the fact that if her pack mates answered this girl's sound off, they would be swiftly in the way of danger. Which meant they'd have to make this quick. He cast his gaze toward his pack mate, and found her already looking to him. It was the final bolster needed to assure that he would not listen to reason; he was going to throw his weight around here for as long as it carried him. Maybe, they would get a victory out of it. He took in a few deep gulps of air, trying to pinpoint the location of their food stores. And with those breaths, he caught tale of something miraculous. The scent of blood and predator mixed in the still air, a recent occurrence that Gent could only guess at the timeline of. From what he could pick up, a lynx had taken down prey, but was now absent; the altercation had perhaps happened simultaneously with their own, resulting in the three being distracted enough to not notice. Then, maybe, it was this foreigner's single warning bark that scared off the Lynx. Whatever it was, Gent was now aware of the undefended carcass, a perfect opportunity. Well, not quite undefended. Gent tensed, replaced his sneer with a smirk. "That's a hell of a lot of posturing for someone who'd make for an easier meal than an injured doe." With the taunt, he took one more step forward, before abruptly launching to the right, cutting through the stranger and Sagacity to bound at top speed toward where he figured this divine gift was located. Hopefully, Sagacity had also caught the scent, and would follow suit, and hopefully, they could accomplish this borderline theft without attracting an entire pack's worth of aggression.

(This post was last modified: Jan 12, 2014, 07:13 PM by Gent.)

Look Out!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health

OOC|| I appreciate the permission, it was a definite pp with the hitting-the-ice-patch thing. I thought it would offer a more realistic way for her to catch up with him besides just "she ran really really fast". ||

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Naia responded to the silver female's reply with an irritated huff. What she said made sense, but it still didn't forgive her youthful companion's impudence. Naia noticed the woman's amber gaze flick briefly toward the swarthy male, and she narrowed her own eyes suspiciously. She knew an attempt at nonverbal plotting when she saw it, and she wasn't going to stand for subterfuge right under her nose. Fortunately, the yearling seemed oblivious to his packmate's attempt to catch his eye, tensed and prepared to enter the duel of words himself.

"That's a hell of a lot of posturing for someone who'd make for an easier meal than an injured doe." Just as he spoke, Naia scented the fallen deer in slight gust of tailwind. Judging from the direction the air was moving, the carcass was well within Cut Rock River’s border, but close enough that the intruders possibly had a chance at grabbing it. The words he chose were no coincidence, Naia knew. He had smelled the doe, and his taunt suggested he thought it to be an easy meal. Such blatant theft would be unforgivable, not to mention a suicide run now that she had alerted the rest of the pack. He wouldn’t dare…

The shadowy male bolted, and Naia let out a bark of surprise and anger. Without another thought she charged after him, achieving her sprint speed within several adrenaline-boosted bounds. She had the advantage of knowing her own territory, and according to her memory the lad was careening directly toward a slick patch of black ice. If he hit the ice patch, it would slow him down a few beats—just enough to allow Naia to catch up. Naia ran at an angle that would allow her to avoid the icy spot and cut off the yearling’s progress. Her path intersected his nearly perpendicularly, and catching sight of the thieving male inspired a burst of speed.

As she neared the dark youth's path, she leaped in an attempt to tackle him with the full force of her weight. She approached from his right side, her attack aimed at the right shoulder area of his body. The move was an attempt to knock him off course, and if it landed correctly it would send both of them tumbling. She did not attempt to bite him or severely injure him yet; the tackle was simply a way to direct his attention away from the carcass and a demand for him to engage in a proper fight. For him to turn tail and run after her direct physical contact would be cowardly.

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@Maksim

This wasn't where she'd wanted things to go.

A flash of azure was all she got from Gent, whose keen gaze had picked up on her anxiousness, and it stoked the flame within him. The scent of the carcass had not gone unnoticed by Sagacity either, who, fleet as a silver bullet, had moved into action as soon as Gent had- and fortunately for her, her chosen path took her past the yearling and around the unseen patch of ice. She didn't even notice how it slowed Gent's pace, but flicked ah ear back when she heard the female's snarls escalate and the sound of what seemed to be a scuffle coming from behind her. But by now, she could see the corpse on the ground and honed in on it- even if all she could do was wolf down as much as possible and then regurgitate some for the others back in the pack, it'd be worth it. It'd calm the demon in her soul and that was all she wanted.

She whipped around the carcass, sliding to a stop beside it and looking up for just a moment- just long enough to see that both Naia and Gent were occupied. She crouched- but maintained a position ready to spring should she need to, and with savage teeth she tore at the hunk of partially eaten deer, avoiding the skin altogether and swallowing down the meatiest and juiciest bits, as they took no time at all to strip away. She knew she'd never have time to eat the entire thing- unless Gent absolutely demolished his opponent, and if no other pack wolves showed up...But with all the commotion, she knew she couldn't get her hopes up. So she ate, and she ate fast, casting a look about between each mouthful so she could prepare to defend herself or dart away if need be.

Avatars by Arla!

Border patrol was certainly part of the River leader's daily routine, making it paramount he loop it once or twice. As he steadily loped along the invisible line, he could pick up traces of Naia's scent—it seemed he wasn't too far behind the potential scout. She had certainly settled into Cut Rock River well and that pleased Maksim to no end. His pack was becoming quite the desirable home but he could only hope that those who were recent joiners would remain even after winter. This was not simply a temporary home. A sharp bark caught Maksim's attention immediately, noting the exact meaning behind it and just who had made it; there were pack wolves who were close and Naia had given them a warning. Without a word or returning call, the agouti leader charged in the direction that the Timber female's vocalisation had come from. Snow sprayed up behind him, long and powerful legs easily carrying him over the powdered white that lay thickly across the land. His tail was already high as he shot onwards like a bullet from a gun, thundering through underbrush and between the towering cedars as fast as his bulky frame could carry him.

It wouldn't take too long before he burst onto the scene, hackles raised and a vicious snarl ripping from deep within his broad chest. The king was here. Two wolves, both of monochrome colourations, had dared to trespass on his land?! It seemed Naia was attempting to intercept the ebony bastard, though Maksim's piercing gaze flicked towards the grey woman who was stripping meat from a carcass on his lands. Anger washed over him and, like a cage fighter, the brute roared. His words came out full of fury as he charged the damned trespasser. “I suggest you get your damned paws off that deer, wench.” Lowering his head as to protect his throat—she seemed like the slippery type—the River leader aimed to throw himself full force at the smaller, petite woman. That would certainly knock her off her feet and away from his family's rightful food.

we are shining in the rising sun, as we are floating in the blue

A lynx has left behind the remains of a deer. +5 Health