A Hunt in the Shadows [Archer]

[forte]

((@archer))

By the time the pair of she-wolves had made it that far onto the Hunting Plain, the wind had died down and the snowfall become much tamer. In fact, their surroundings were quite silent—no birds, no chatter of the creek, no wind blowing across the snow. Indy, usually talkative, kept her jaws clamped on the remains of her last kill. She took the lead, but soon started to tire from walking so far in the snow, having had so little to eat. She was heading to a copse of trees in the distance, where the snow would be low enough to hunt, and where she expected some animals to have gone to shelter from the weather, just as she had tried to do before running into Savita. The trees seemed to get taller the closer they got, their shadows deeper.

[Deleted]

Savita was predator-alert from the moment they set foot onto the plains, hunger making her senses sharp. She was never as happy of her smaller frame as when she had to wade through the snow - she didn't sink quite as far or have to use quite as much energy as a bigger wolf would. She spotted the trees that Indy was heading toward, and as they got closer, she began to take on the creeping gait that took her a little closer to the ground. Something could spring out at any moment out of the silence. She alternatively watched their surroundings and her companion, waiting for the twitch of muscle that would tell her there was prey in their sights.

[forte]

In the copse of trees shelter a small herd of elk. Though they are winter-weary and some of them are sick, they are all adults and it will be dangerous and take a lot of energy to bring any of them down. Nearby, a pair of coyotes feeds on the carcass of another elk.

Indy could see no movement in the trees, and there was no wind to tell her that anything that might be useful about what could be in those shadows. Difficult conditions to hunt in indeed, especially for someone who didn't have a ton of experience, like Indy. The elk carcass, on the other hand, she spotted a long way off thanks to the movement of the coyotes around it. For a few moments she stood still, blinking in the snow, thinking what she and Savita should do. The thought of eating frozen, long-dead meat again made her want to gag, but she would if she had to. Still, something told her she should check the copse to make sure there was nothing edible in there, so she continued past the coyotes and their meal and trusted that Savita would follow her.

After another several minutes of traveling she stopped again. "Look!" she said quietly to her companion. She could see movement in the trees at last. Her hunch had been correct.

[Deleted]

Savita bared her teeth silently at the coyotes, distaste written all over her face. Nasty little rats. She wasn't any more keen than Indy on eating such used meat, though, and followed the older wolf past them. She caught the movement in the trees when Indy did, and nodded at her soft exclamation. The bodies she could see weren't in great shape, but neither was Savita herself. Indy looked a little stronger, but there was still two of them against those hooves. However, the thought of all of that meat... how it could sate her never-ending hunger... well, it overrode her caution. "Plan?" she inquired softly. She would defer to the older wolf, as etiquette demanded. Savita had never taken down anything so large before, so she was nervous, but it would all be worth it.

[forte]

Indy neglected to respond as she started to go through all the possibilities in her head. She had never hunted elk with so few other wolves before, and she knew that a kick from one of those beasts could be a death sentence. That very thing had happened to a wolf she had known long ago, actually. Even today Indy had yet to meet a more formidable hunter than that wolf had been, and yet in the blink of an eye she was gone. The brown she-wolf shuddered at the thought. It would be best to play it safe.

"We should be really careful," Indy said finally. "Let's try to pick out an easy one." With that the she-wolf picked the pace back up. It was possible the elk hadn't yet noticed them yet, but Indy figured that they had. The wolves' fur stood out in this expanse of pure-white snow like a bird in the sky. Besides, if they wanted to assess the health of the animals they needed to get close enough to see them well.

As the wolves approach, the elk get wise and retreat deeper into the grove. They will not leave the shelter of the copse unless forced to.

((Idea! How about Indy gets injured by an elk? I don't think I've been cruel enough to my characters lately. I just want to make sure you'd be okay with an unsuccessful hunt and/or perhaps having Savita run to get White Magic?))

[Deleted]

Savita nodded slowly, watching as the elk nervously retreated deeper into the trees. Closer together as well, making picking out one straggler even harder. A rational wolf would call it quits, but Savita held hope that they could get them to scatter and potentially pick off a weaker one. Trouble was, it was hard to really assess from further out... and so they drew closer, Savita drifting out to the side from Indy to expand their reach just a little. She narrowed her eyes as they drew level with the treeline, letting her vision adjust to the shadows. She thought she saw one of the group of ruminants that was a little smaller, a little thinner... but there would be plenty of meat on those bones if they could pull it or one of its herdmates down.

(I'm totally fine with that! Savita can totally get a few good knocks as well as long as she's still physically capable of going after White Magic xD)

[forte]

Indy surveyed the herd for a few minutes, but couldn't see any obvious injuries or other ailments in the herd. All the elk looked rather thin, but otherwise alert and healthy. She glanced at Savita and noticed her eyeing one of the elk nearer to her that Indy hadn't noticed. This one's coat was dull and looked to be laboring in the snow. Indy walked closer to Savita. "That one," said the brownish wolf, as if it weren't obvious. Now that she were closer to the ill elk, she could hear its ragged breathing. This was definitely a sick animal. "Let's just tire it out," she proposed. It was a simple strategy, but it seemed appropriate in this situation. She looked at Savita to confirm the plan.

[Deleted]

Savita nodded to the other wolf. "Let's go." She no longer tried to be quiet - instead the female moved forward, angling herself as she approached the herd in a way that might cause the sick elk to spook away from the group. She knew, with the way they were crowding in, that it might take the wolves getting pretty close to convince them to scatter or run from the protection. At least, she hoped they would do that rather than standing to fight. So as she cautiously moved forward, she drew her lips back and snarled, giving them all the enticement she could, never relenting her steady approach.

[forte]

As Savita stalked threateningly toward the elk, Indy mirrored her actions, moving at them from the same direction. If there was one thing that would get these herd running, it was two hungry, snarling she-wolves. She could sense their nervousness in the way they watched the wolves, in the whites of their eyes. When she got within fifty feet or so, Indy barked aggressively and lunged forward, and this finally got them running. The elk headed directly away, toward the other edge of the trees and beyond, the deep snow of the open plain. "Let's go!" Indy shouted as she started to weave between trees in pursuit. She watched the creatures as they ran, looking for a weak individual....

[Deleted]

Eyes still locked on the sickly-looking female, she bounded forward at Indy's outcry. She almost had tunnel-vision in her hunger and haste, and broke through the trees and into the deeper snow again after the herd. She weighed less than them, could move more quickly, and she wanted to use that to her advantage. Not one to beat around the bush, either from confidence or inexperience or both, Savita lunged at the cow elk, braving potentially dangerous hooves to try and hamstring a hind leg.

[forte]

Indy had a mere minute to pick out a vulnerable individual. She caught sight of a smaller elk with a dull coat. It had been shuffled toward the back of the group, unable to keep up with the others. Indy moved in closer, waiting for the right moment to strike.

When the wolf broke from the trees she saw that the clouds were starting to clear away. The only reason she noticed this was that the sun now shone rather blindingly onto the pure white snow, making her sight dark. A more experienced wolf would have paused to wait for her vision to adjust, but Indy had the thrill of the hunt in her, and her adrenaline-pumped brain was not a cautious decision-maker. Half-blind, the she-wolf continued to pursue the elk. The creatures slowed as they went from shallow snow to deep, stumbling. The sick-looking one seemed to have more trouble than the others with the snow. Here was the opportunity she had been waiting for! Indy lunged at the hind legs of the elk. The creature let out a terrified cry at the feel of her teeth, and Indy snarled in satisfaction.

The feeling was short-lived. Suddenly another elk appeared next to her, a large, robust-looking one, snorting wildly. Indy let go of the first elk's leg, backing away—but the healthy creature was too quick. Its hooves flashed out, and Indy yelped as the the massive beast came down at her, landing with one hoof squarely on Indy's wrist.