Pawprints in the snow

[Deleted]

Onscure followed Tala into the Plains, his stance relaxed and gaze once again clinical and cold. He was, however, not as relaxed as he seemed to be. The off-white wolf's pelt blended in perfectly with the snow. Only a pair of milky blue eyes distinguished wolf from surrounding as he walked. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he was nothing more than a patch of winter. The cold hid his scent and his fur was more than enough to camouflage him extremely well. 

Step after step, Obscure walked behind. It was not one of submission, because they would treat each other as equals. Eventually, he would start with her as a partner. Working side by side was what he did best. But for now, as the flakes dusted and blanketed the ground with their graceful dance, Obscure would work on it. 


6dewdrops

[6dewdrops]

Tala

She stepped out of the trees and onto the Hunting Plain. It opened up before her. A vast blanket of heartless snow. Tala stood at the edge of the plain and looked out. The plain was desolate and empty. There was no food in sight. This would be a long and hard hunting trip. To make matters worse, she had an overbearing wolf walking behind her. 

Tala turned to make eye contact with Obscure. She glared, making it obvious that she didn't want to be here. Her voice held her dignity and her head stood high. She may not be acting high and mighty, but she would display her pride. "It doesn't look like there's much food. What do you want to do?" Now that she had to treat him as an "equal," Tala couldn't make all the decisions herself. She could feel her control slipping away. 

[Deleted]

"Tch, touchy touchy.  Do I have to remind you of your previous commitment once more? I'm sure I can do it again." Obscure hummed, a smirk present on his face. Now, to feed the pack they'd need a large enough prey - perhaps an elk or a moose? They should be nearby somewhere, seeing as the plains were still green with ungrazed grass. Sure, most of the herds had left, but Obscure knew there were bound to be stragglers who didn't follow. His eyes danced across the white land, pelt blending in perfectly with the snow. "I'd say we go for a large prey, but if not, then a deer or multiple rabbits would suffice. We need enough to be able to feed... what, 10, 20 wolves?"


Having shaken off his 'submissive' attitude, Obscure's voice was strong, tone a rich baritone. His fur gleamed in the light, claws sharp and polished. Though his eyes were milky blue, his vision was perfectly clear. His words were commanding and authoritative, showing his natural leadership talent shining through. The white wolf nodded briefly at Tala and continued standing to wait.

OOC: It seems I almost completely forgot about this thread. My apologies! Shall I get a mod here?))

[6dewdrops]

((Sure. Go for it. And you're totally fine! ^_^))

[Deleted]

A mod should be along either tonight or tomorrow.))

[Cascade]

(Try to keep the OOC chat to a minimum in IC threads, you guys PMs are always an option!)

.::A lone deer staggered through the snow. It was not too thin but it appeared...unwell. Its erratic movements were worrisome to the nearby herd of musk oxen, which gave the sick deer a wide berth as they rooted through the snow for any living grasses.::.

[6dewdrops]

Tala

She nodded her head. "That sounds about right." Her green eyes scanned the plain. One lone deer was walking. It staggered a little and Tala looked at it closely. Although it wasn't particularly thin and it didn't have any injuries, Tala got a funny feeling. She didn't like the way it looked. 

Tala looked at Obscure. She shook her head and started to back away from the hunting plain. "I don't like the way that one looks. I think we should find different prey." Her instincts tingled. She hoped Obscure would agree with her. It never turned out good when she ignored her instincts. 

[Deleted]

"I think so too. It looks... sick. And we don't want that at all. It would be a shame." His own eyes flashed across the surface of the plain, spotting many tracks along the ground. The snow had imprints of hooves - musk oxen hooves. His eyes darted up and further away to rest on the herd of musk-oxen. True to his thoughts, they were there.

Obscure noted the position of the oxen before dipping his head to speak with Tala. He crouched down a little, flicking his ears at the herd. "It's a small herd, we should be able to separate a youngster or weak one. Now usually, I wouldn't suggest this, but since it's winter and the herd is clearly hungry, what do you say ablut a stampede? They might be weak enough for us to take out."

[6dewdrops]

Tala

She let out her breath when Obscure agreed with her. So she hadn't been the only one to notice the deer's odd behavior. At least she didn't have to partner up with an imbecile. Tala looked away from the deer and saw the musk oxen. They appeared to be avoiding the deer as well while looking for something to eat under the thick snow.

Tala listened to Obscure and nodded along. It was risky to start a stampede. The oxen could easily turn on them and it could get dangerous. She didn't really want to risk it, but at the same time her stomach felt empty and she knew the need for food was strong. "I agree. If we can scare them enough, they will run. The weaker ones will lag behind and we can cut it off from the rest of the herd. Then we can take it down." Tala crouched down and started forward, preparing for the hunt. Her long legs would be vital in cutting off the weaker ox.

[Deleted]

"So be it."' Obscure nodded and crouched down as well, keeping his tail low and his body taut like a spring. His pelt hid him in the white snow and all one would see if they had not looked closely enough would be a patch of snow. He smirked, closing his eyes. Then Obscure refocused again, keeping his eyes on the herd. He waited, waited for the best moment as the musk oxen still continued to graze. Unaware of their presence, unaware of all but the presence of and the need for food. 

"On three?"

((you're back! Also sorry for the crap post. I literally just woke up.))

[6dewdrops]

Tala

She lowered her body so that her belly fur hovered over the layer of snow. Then she stealthily crept up next to Obscure. Tala perked up her ears to sense any disturbances that might scare the oxen before they could. There appeared to be a bird on a rock behind them, but that wouldn't scare anything except a mouse.

Obscure was talking. Tala shifted her ears, but kept her green eyes on the searching herd. On three? She shook her head a little. "No. We need to get closer. Popping up from back her will do nothing." Without another word, she crept forward, inching her way closer. She hoped to get within ten feet of them before jumping out to startle them. Tala continued, keeping her body barely above the ground and her muscles taught and ready to leap into action at any given sign. 

[Deleted]

"Alright." He said back, lowering himself into a stalking position as well. However, obscure crept slightly to the side of the back of the herd instead, hoping to herd them into a patch of trees in which it would be easier to separate them. He looked at Tala, but kept his main focus on the herd and their actions. Flicking them back towards the oxen, he examined the crowd before him. Were there any weaker ones in the herd? Calves, old oxen or pregnant ones? He could not be two sure about the latter two, but he could spot a few younglings near the edge of the herd. Of course they would not be at the edge - it was too risky to keep weak members outside, when all had to be protected.

He flicked his glance at the side of the herd, knowing Tala would understand his plan. They would either drive them into trees, or chase the oxen and separate the traditional way. He stared longer at the young members of the herd specifically, as he knew that taking down even a young one was hard enough, let alone a full-grown musk ox. Obscure knew the chances of injury and disease in this season, but the musk oxen were bright-eyed and healthy. Only the danger of serious, potential injury remained. But if they could maim one enough... It would be best to cross that bridge later, but have a plan for now.

[6dewdrops]

Tala

She noticed Obscure creep behind her and to the side. He seemed to be planning on directing them into the nearby redwoods. Tala nodded her agreement. That would be a good way to slow them down and possibly lose the stronger ones as they pushed through the branches. Tala saw Obscure's eyes flick towards the younger oxen. She nodded her head again. They would be the easiest. Any sick or injured ox that could get sick would be dangerous for the wolves. And she knew that they had probably lost all the old ox already since it was not the middle of winter. Pregnant ox were also very unlikely. Plus, they were usually moody and hard to deal with. 

Tala las was now within her ten foot distance. She eyed Obscure and stuck her tail in the air to signal the stop. Then she hid her face behind the mound of snow. Her tail twitched slightly to signal the three count. One flick. Her eyes narrowed. Two flicks. She let her tongue run over her lips. Three flicks. Tala leaped forward, howling to her long dead anscestors and racing at the oxen. She hoped that Obscure had gotten her signal and wouldn't be far behind her. 

[Deleted]

Obscure leapt at the same moment, powerful hind legs spurring him towards his goal. His eyes were narrowed tightly, and his fur gave the impression of a patch of snow speeding after the herd. He was not so surprised to see that Tala agreed with him, being a very good strategist. His milky blue eyes trained on a specific one, and he closed in on it while still driving the herd with Tala. At that point, he took a moment to admire how her muscles rippled underneath her pelt as she ran and strode. The purple spots and rings on her pelt moved with her motion, creating a blur of beautiful chaos, so perfect, so precise, so deadly. But he had not taken his attention off his job, and sped up slightly, just enough to angle the musk oxen more towards the redwoods.

His own muscles lent him the strength, endurance, speed and agility he needed to complete this hunt, his easy running propelling his body towards the herd. Obscure's class unsheathed themselves, but tapped on the ground very lightly. Should he get stuck, he would lost the chance. His ears were pressed back against his head, and as he streaked across the plain, he was the very image of a strong, capable wolf. He was the image of masculinity, as well as the darker side to it - cunning, intelligence and a quick mind. He nodded to his partner and angled a little more, now aiming to expose the younglings somewhat more.

[Cascade]

.::The oxen ran at the sight and sound of the wolves, but they had been taken by surprise. Tala and Obscure closed the distance easily and Tala practically trampled a young ox which had failed to keep up with the rest of the herd, bleating as the wolf closed in on it. Obscure quickly caught up, with a few other younglings just ahead of him who had also become separated from their mothers.::.