Cheetah in the Grasslands(Discontinued)

[Calypso]

Onyx;

It had been quite a while since a certain she-wolf had been to the plain. A majority of her hunts were small prey, but with winter ending and spring approaching, not many small prey choices were around as often. At this moment it seemed that a thin blanket of snow was covering the ground, but there were some portions of the plain that were clear, to the surprise of some.

Bright orange slowly passed through the tall grasses of the plains. A pair of eyes, one red and the other white in color, scanned the large meadow with interest. The wolf breathed in whatever scents were going across the blades of grass surrounding her. Her tail remained close to her body as to prevent moving any blades unnecessarily. Her body was lowered close to the ground and her legs kept her held up enough that she could see everything around her. She then stopped at the top of a small hill, scanning the meadow for any signs of life. She turned her head more so to the left, her red eye looking around more so than the other.

[Blood]

Gale:

Spring was clearly here as the bright sun reflected off of the melting patches of snow and the songbirds danced in the bare branches of the trees. The air was warmer, but it still held a cold touch, winter not yet ready to release it's grip on the weather. The scent of freshness was everywhere and the feeling of newness was all around.

Gale trotted on his toes as he made his way over the hunting plains' hilly terrain. The winter snows had flattened most of the tall grasses that were used for camouflage and hiding, but a few dead patches still bounced back and new greenery could be seen sprouting under it. It had been more than several days since he had last visited the plains, his journeys had been taking him to further places in the valley but spring always made him return.

Cresting the top of a rise, Gale flattened his tall figure and touched his belly to the ground. His silver eyes scanned the bleak hills in search for a decent hunt that would end him up with a meal, or several meals if the kill would prove large enough. On the top of an opposite hill Gale spotted a color that didn't quite match the rest of the terrain, it was a brighter orange and it looked to be an animal. What kind of animal, he could not say, but it didn't look like it was to be hunted, rather a hunter that was present in the hunting plains for the exact reason he was. Gale stared a the spot of color for a moment longer before he decided that it shouldn't take any more of his attention (unless it should prove dangerous), and so he looked around for a suitable prey instead.

(OOC: Not sure if we want to bring in a mod for an actual hunt, or just keep it to small prey?)

[Calypso]

(Maybe a mod can come in and if there is a somewhat big, not deer big but still, we can say they go after the same animal and run into each other that way?)

The she-wolf sniffed the air more, surprisingly not catching any scents yet. Her multi-colored eyes scanned the meadow many times, but if there was any prey at that moment in the field at all, it was shielded by the tall grass. She still kept low to the ground, watching for any signs of movement.

A new, unfamiliar scent did catch her nose for a moment. It seemed to be another wolf, though she couldn't confirm that. She looked off to the right and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She turned her head almost completely to the right and scanned again. There was only one time when she thought she saw a bright color amongst the green of the newly-grown grasses, but she convinced herself that it was merely the snow or a trick of the eye. She turned forward again and waited, keeping track of any movement.

[Meds]

::From the Southern skies, freshly returned from their Winter migration, a pair of large Canadian Geese land in the meadow to rest their wings. They stay close together, one way facing a different direction, and begin pecking at the shorter grasses.
At the foot of a hill a little to the North is a medium-sized hog nosing through some old, dead leaves. From the angle it is impossible to tell whether it is a sow or a boar.::

[Deleted]

“Yech!” Shade spat under her breath. As quietly as possible she extracted herself from the mud. “I hate spring...” she hissed.

The older she-wolf crawled belly-to-ground to the downwind of two geese. She sized them up with an appraising eye. One goose she could easily kill, but if this was a bonded pair... well... that was another story. She lay down in the grass, weighing up her options. If the geese— her thought process snapped off at the base. Was that... hog? Her snout twitched in hungry anticipation, even as her stomach snarled. She huffed in frustration. There was no way she—as large as she was—could take down a hog alone.

And that’s when she finally noticed.
She was by no means alone in this field.

She stiffened, kept her body still. There were two, from the smell of it, though she couldn’t tell where. They had passed nearby this way. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was downwind of them—she would see them before they knew she was there. With this thought in mind, Shade crept forward, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

Perhaps she could enlist their aid....

[Calypso]

Onyx;

It wasn't long before the multi-colored eyes of the she-Wolf found what she was looking for. Off one way was some geese, ones that could easily provide her a meal, possibly two or three depending on her hunger. Off another way was what appeared to be a hog, though with vision not as great as some, it was hard to tell. But she caught the scent of both kinds of prey.

She also caught the scent of...another wolf? There was already one stranger in the meadow that she hadn't found the exact location of. Now there was another. Even though it would make the hunt more difficult, she didn't really mind.

Now it was time to make a decision. Go for the pig or go for the geese? The geese would possibly provide more of a meal, considering there were two of them. But once one is attacked the other would have the chance to escape unless one of the two strangers around her attacked it. The hog was by itself and would give a decent amount of food. The main predicament she faced with the hog was that it may put up more of a challenge. With both options in mind, she made her choice.

The black-spotted she-wolf kept herself low to the ground and began to stalk down the hill slowly, her path angling slightly towards where the pig rummaged through leaves. She tried to keep the pig in her sights despite the tall grass, which became easier as she got closer. At the moment the only thing she could do was keep moving forward and hope that one of the other two wolves wouldn't go after it or startle it before she got there.

[200+]

[Blood]

Gale:

Gale suddenly looked up from his crouched hiding spot when a raucous of trumpets and honking broke the silence of the hunting plain. A pair of Canadian geese decided to land in the tall grasses and start snacking on the vegetation after their winter migration. The two gray birds bobbed their slick black necks and honked a few more times before falling silent and contenting themselves with taking turns pecking at the ground and looking around. Gale's curious silver eyes were locked on the two birds as they meandered through the grasses, but his thoughts were calculating and he didn't like what he was coming up with. The Canadian couple looked young and youthful, probably in their second or third season of being together. They would be searching for a nest soon, or returning to one they had in previous years to raise a clutch. Hunting either the goose or the gander would have been against Gale's code, and even though he was hungry and wanting to feed, killing one of the mated pair would be one less clutch of geese to hunt during the summer or autumn season.

With determination, Gale turned his attention to finding something more appropriate to hunt, and that's when his sharp eyes caught the soft movement of a tanned hide. An elated smirk appeared on the male's blonde muzzle and his tongue snaked out from between his incisors. The hog was well hidden in the tall grasses that it was digging in, but by Gale's assumption, it was probably an older male or a juvenile in search of a sounder of sows. Breeding season was in its height, and Gale was surprised that this lone bore was not among sows, or fighting against rivals. Well, it was a good thing anyways, because it was alone and easier to hunt. However, this did mean it would be on guard more, and prepared to attack if necessary. Gale ignored the dangers of hunting the wild pig alone, and gently wiggled forward on his paws, his nose twitching to try and pick up the scents around him. That's when he noticed he was upwind of the prey and froze in his advance, shooting a sharp glance at the surrounding landscape.

Quick and silent movements brought Gale back down the hill that he had ascended and trotting around the base, completely out of sight and scent of any prey or wolf. Once he was downwind of the bore, Gale began to creep closer to the so far unsuspected animal. The pair of geese were a little off to his right, which made things extra tricky. If he wanted to surprise attack the bore, he had to keep it stealth enough so the geese wouldn't fly off in warning for the wild pig. With his large frame hovering inches from the ground in perfected stalking, his dark teal ears swiveled to his right from a faint swish of grass that had caught his attention. A dark shadow was creeping along with him, not two leaps away. This expertly hidden figure also seemed to be in the process of hunting the wild bore, and no doubt, this stranger probably already known he was right there hunting as well.

Gale had lost sight of the orange wolf that he had spotted earlier, and prayed that the orange stranger had enough sense not to chase after the geese. He wondered if a planned hunt could possibly work out between three wolves, or who knows maybe more, who didn't even know each other. If possibly all hunters in the party could put together a logical ambush that might win them all a fresh kill to share.

Taking his chances, Gale started to veer off to the left more, leaving the dark stranger on their continued path of advancement towards the wild bore. Gale's plan was to let the stranger attack head on, and he would be there to cover the left flank if the bore would either run or turn and charge. If the latter, Gale could hit the pig from the side and throw off his charge, saving the dark wolf from a harmful attack. Without a known position of where the orange stranger might be, Gale had no other option than to assume the hunt without them. The blonde and dark teal male crept forward, hoping that the dark pelted wolf had sensed his plan of attack and would somehow make it work.

[Deleted]

Shade's almond eyes narrowed and her leering grin spread wider. Perfect. She glanced at the stranger out of the corner of an eye. He had fallen into lockstep maybe five paces away from her, slinking through the tall grass. Not bad... not bad at all. She watched as he veered off to the left, his movements receding into the near silence of the brisk spring morning. Shade cocked one ear, following his movements. She caught a glimpse of blonde fur hovering far to her left, cutting sideways toward's the boar's flank. Very good... this young fellow knew his hunting tactics, it seemed. Shade dropped her head and cocked her other ear, listening for movements of the second stranger—the one who's fur shone as orange as her long deceased brother's. She couldn't quite place the she-wolf's location, and it bothered her. One false move and this whole enterprise would be ruined. The rumbling in her stomach reminded her just how much she needed this kill.

She slipped forward on silent paws, stilling when the geese honked warily. Don't screw this up, now.... The birds settled back down, and Shade continued forward. It was odd, she mused as she moved slowly down the knowe towards the boar, how loners could so easily act as a pack. The thought occurred to her, as it often did, how much more powerful her kind was together. She slicked back her ears and flattened out her tail. No. I am far more powerful alone.

Ten lengths from the boar, Shade stopped. Her whole body quivered with anticipation. She could see the boar now—a large male, rooting around in the mawn and loam, likely hoping to uncover some young grubs or salty rootworms. Shade tensed her haunches. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, the movement of the blonde he-wolf to the boar's left flank. Her face split down the center in a maddened, silent snarl of excitement. Without hesitation she rushed the pig from the front, eating up the lengths between them as if she were five years younger. Her jaws slavered, widened, and she leaped high into the air just before contact, aiming her full weight at the boar's nape.

[Meds]

((So because of the mixup with Shade’s name that staff didn’t catch until just now, I’ll just keep referring to her as Shade for now, but be aware that the name will have to be changed soon, please! And sorry again, gah!))

::Onyx creeps down the hill quietly and avoids detection, though she is now at the back-end of the action. Gale veers off to the left, and as planned the boar doesn’t notice either as it continues to root for food; however, when Shade gets closer and speeds up, the boar pauses. Her snarl of excitement further alerts the boar to then wolves’ presence. The boar’s head raises, and the sun catches a pair of lethal-looking 6-inch tusks. He turns to face Shade. It is now apparent that he is almost 250 pounds of fully-mature male boar, capable of running up to 25 miles an hour and overturning rocks weighing close to 100 pounds. He is medium-sized, for a mature male, but he is larger than his attackers.
As Shade closes the distance her bite does land on the pig’s neck, but because she came at him from head on after he was aware, he rears his head upward. The brunt of his tusks miss Shade, but he clips her front left shoulder hard enough to weaken the limb due to pain for a short time.

[Calypso]

Onyx;

As Onyx crept down the hillside towards the hog, the scent of the other two wolves filled the she-wolves nose and brought her to the realization of what she hadn't realized before. Despite the fact that she didn't know who these other wolves were and, more than likely, they didn't know her, they were working together. It was interesting to think of how these three stanger wolves could become temporary partners in a battle for redeemed hunger. Added to that, it wasn't as if they coukd speak to each other; that would only drive the prey away from them. Fascinating how wolves work together based on movement alone.

The red eye of the female watched as a dark wolf jumped forward from the grasses, going after the boar head-on. It wasn't the best course of action, for she saw the pig's rusk hit the other canine. But that choice brought in some oppurtunity.

Onyx felt her heart beat quicken ever-so-slightly. Her ears perked forward to listen for any sudden changes in action. When she saw her chance to strike, she wasted no time. With quickness, the orange and black she-wolf lowered her legs and leaped forward towards the hog, her legs outstretched, claws aiming for the back of the pig, and her jaws bared for a bite to help her latch on. The only thing she could hope for now was that the previous attacker would be alright to jump in again and that her distracting the swine would give the other hidden wolf a chance to strike.

[200+]

[Deleted]

The boar was far larger than she had first anticipated.

She felt visceral satisfaction as her fangs met flesh, and salty blood whetted her appetite. The triumph was short-lived. She felt herself swing upwards, then a aharp pain exploded through her shoulder. She lost sight and sound for an undetermined period of time. When she came to she was sprawled in the grass, her old bones trembling. The boar stood with it’s back to her, huffing angrily as another she-wolf—the one with flaming orange fur—raced past the old she-wolf and flung herself towards it.

Shade shook her head, trying to clear the haze and the pain. I’m getting too old for this....

She hauled herself to her feet, splinting the injured foreleg by holding it carefully off of the ground. Damn this... She watched the other two wolves, weaving back and forth behind the boar in hopes of finding an opening in its blind spot. She bared her fangs in a deep-bellied snarl. “This heath will not be where I lose to a stinking pig!”

Limping heavily she darted in, swiveling her head and scissoring her jaws, hoping to hamstring the beast.

[Blood]

Gale:

A rush a sound through the grasses notified Gale that the dark she-wolf had begun her attack. So soon? Gale didn't realize she would rush the boar without maybe getting closer first, but he had no control over her actions, nor the advantage of having discussed their plan of attack beforepaw. His head swiveled in the direction of the wild pig busy digging for grub, unfortunately it was no longer head down with it's snout in the dirt, it was standing ready for the she-wolf's attack. Gale watched wide eyed as the dark wolf leaped towards the 250 pound boar with an open mouth of fangs aimed at his nape. Her teeth caught flesh as a trail of blood stained the boar's hairy pelt, but the wild pig had its weapons ready, and swung his powerful head at the attacker, throwing her off to the side with a deep gash on her shoulder. Gale flinched when he heard the dull thud of the stranger's maimed body hitting the earth, her dark form disappearing below the tall grasses. Not a moment passed when a bright orange wolf flew out of the grass with outstretched paws ready to attack the boar from behind.

A sharp inhale came from the blonde he-wolf as his shoulders twitched and his body tensed in anticipation. The boar's attention was on the wounded wolf that struggled to get back up and throw her second attack, and no doubt he would notice the oncoming orange she-wolf sooner or later. This was Gale's chance, and he wasted no time as his lithe figure snaked through the grass. His nose parted the green waves and his toes barely touched the ground as his maw silently opened like a snake ready to strike. Head low to the ground and weight thrown forward, Gale attacked. His fangs aimed to rip at the boars exposed leg and immobilize him by tearing his hamstring. This would hopefully paralyze the wild pig long enough for the hunters to deliver the final blows that would win the fight.

((Hey Scribble, I think it was my turn after Calypso in the posting order. Don't worry about your recent reply, but for next time.))

[Meds]

((Yep, Blood, we chatted to Scribble about it! Since it’s not a technical rule, we all just had to get on the same page All good now!))

::Onyx leaps in and succeeds in landing on the pig, but the hide is so strong that her teeth cannot break through, especially at momentum. The hog squeals and spins in fury, angry that the female is on his back. As Shadewalker jumps back in and aims at the pig’s legs, her speed and balance are effected by her injury. She does bite him, but it is superficial and the pig easily rips free as he tries to get Onyx off his back. The pig spins to rid himself of Onyx, and Shadewalker enters his vision. The hog rushes forward to stomp on Shadewalker’s back, considering she is holding herself low due to the injury. She will have to get out of the way, and quickly, or else her back may be broken and only a trip to White Magic will heal her.
The good news is that as the pig is distracted and trying to stomp the female, Gale’s attack lands on the other side of him. The pig rears in anger and pain, which throws Onyx off of his back rather violently (since she didn’t have a proper hold). The beast’s hide is stronger than anticipated and Gale does not rip hamstring, but he does have a strong hold on the pig, hampering its movement for as long as he holds on—but be warned. The longer he stays attached at the mouth to the hog, the more likely he is to be crushed or gutted by the angry pig.

[Calypso]

Onyx;

She thought she had a good hold. She hoped that she did when her paws landed on the boar's back. For a short period of time it was like the pig had hardly noticed her. She then realized that the pig was currently focused on the she-wolf who had attacked before her, the one who was tossed by the pig's sharp tusks(?). She saw out of the corner of her eye that the she-wolf was badly injured and would be worse if this continued. In addition to that, she felt a sudden surge off to her other side, which she couldn't see from. As the hog was spinning and rearing back, she saw a flash of a light tan color, which she realized was the wolf she had seen when she first got to the meadow.

Unfortunately, the attack that the male landed on the pig caused its anger to only intensify. The pig threw itself around, bucking her off of its back since her claws weren't latched on properly. She fell to the ground with a thud and a roll, landing on her shoulder. She felt a small burst of pain, but it wasn't like a bone-crushing feeling, but more just a quick soreness. Before anything, she whipped her head to the side, taking in the scene for a mere second. The dark she-wolf was on the ground, injured more so now than before, and nearly getting crushed by the legs of the hog. The blonde male with the light markings was on the face of the pig, which was a bad decision, but that didn't matter now. Her main goal right now was to stop either of these wolves from getting killed.

Now Onyx was never a very brutal or overpowering wolf; she didn't often use strength to win a battle. But this large, angry pig was going to be a major exception. Onyx was a decently sized wolf, slightly larger than the average female, so she had some muscle to her. She just had to hope as she made a last-second decision. She swiftly went to the side of the pig that the male wolf was latched to and made a sharp turn. With all of the strength of her legs she boosted herself forward with as much speed as she could manage. With a loud snarl she thundered into the side of the pig, lowering her body close to the ground and throwing it upwards at the pig to get an extra momentum push upwards. With any luck, the pig would topple over.

(My original idea was that she would go to the side like she did above, but she would rush forward and bite onto the pig's eye and just hold on for dear life. But then I realized if she did that she would most likely get trampled or cut open, so I decided against the more gruesome option...)

[Deleted]

Shadewalker's eyes widened. Not good. Not good, not good, not—

She flung herself backwards just as the boar's forelegs came lancing down towards her back. She felt the wind of them through her fur, the slight clip against her shoulder. The thud behind her as his trotters crashed into the loam sent an electric shiver through her old bones, reminding her of just how close she had come to death. She hit the ground hard and rolled, the wind knocked from her lungs. Wheezing, she managed to drag herself into a clot of tall grasses.

"Damn," she swore loudly, hissing in pain. Her shoulder was bleeding with wild abandon, and hurt worse than she had first perceived, now that the adrenaline was trickling away. Damn... damn.... She looked quickly up at the other two wolves. Her heart skipped a beat. This was... this was bad. Shade was never one for backing out of a situation, but staring up into the beady, black eyes of the boar, she felt her soul momentarily quail. She watched the blonde male throw himself upon the boar's face, watched the flame-and-coals female fling herself up towards the squealing hog. It was a gamble. Shade's eyes narrowed. If she struck the boar right, the animal could be thrown to the ground, vulnerable. Shade's hackles bristled. She would not be left out of the kill simply for some foolish scrape! She rose from the grasses like a cobra, this time roping in her rough instincts. Play it careful.

Slinking belly-low, she moved around the rough-churned sod, watching the struggle all the while. Despite the wound, her heart laughed. It was so fulfilling, this battle: the taste of death, just a jaw-snap away. She relished the dance. She watched the other two wolves carefully, as well. Would they succeed? If they did, they might prove to be valuable allies. She knew she was at an automatic disadvantage: no connections, no territory, dancing with the wind....

Behind the boar now. Her eyes locked on it's hocks, where she had tried to hamstring it moments previous. Barely enough damage to bother a creature such as this. Her fangs flashed in frustration. Injured as she was, this would not be easy... A thought flickered into her head, and she hesitated, her ears coming up. She didn't necessarily have to be the one who actually killed the boar. She almost snickered at her own naivete. Of course not! These two could do the dirty work for her! It had been so long since she had hunted with others of her kind that she had forgotten what that really meant. A sharp smile smeared across her face like a scrawling paint stroke. She lowered her head and flung herself forward, nipping at the boar's tail. She would dart around it, trying to keep out of its reach while making herself enough of a nuisance to form a distraction. She would try to divert its attention, snarling and snapping, while the strangers let the blood from the beasts veins.