Stormrunner & Agarian

Stormrunner padded along a narrow trail that weaved along one edge of the lower mountains. His dark gray tail, held aloft in its rightful position, looked almost black with the moisture it had collected as the alpha navigated the rough terrain. Every now and then, Storm would stop to give his coat a shake, briefly puffing out his pelt before the rain-slicked leaves and grasses would ultimately slick it all back again.

Behind his father, a nimble-footed Agarian followed in his footsteps. The yearling still had a bit of growing to do to fit into his long legs and fill his frame, but already he had an inch over his sire's height. And like Stormrunner, his mostly white fur was slicked back by the constant moisture it was brushing up against. "I'll be glad for the snow when it finally comes." He murmured, even though there was no really irritation in his voice. The weather had finally cooled, and this was the first day in nearly a weak that the pack could go out hunting without frequent breaks to cool down.

"You and me both." Storm chuckled, though his voice was quiet and his attention split between his son and his surroundings.

Crow, Hawk, Waterlily

Hawk wasn't far behind his cousin and Agarian, traveling steadily in third place while they scoured the rocky edges of the mountains in search of their next meal. Every now and then, he'd glanced back to make sure Waterlily was nearby, or pause entirely to ensure his father was able to keep up with the rest.

The silvered old wolf, whose muzzle had grown whiter with age, was pressing on easily enough, defying his years. He no longer served as the pack's distraction tactician during hunts, but he kept pace with them and contributed in his own ways. Today, it had been Crow's own suggestion that had Stormrunner crossing through the mountains, going to an old hunting spot that had been plentiful in years past.

~Prey~

An updraft of wind coming from further down the mountain brings with it the scent of deer and faint odor of blood.

Near the trail is a relatively fresh pile of mountain goat droppings, suggesting a herd is somewhere nearby.

Further ahead, a tree has been marked by the claws of a young black bear. Her scent is very fresh.

Stormrunner & Agarian

Stormrunner slowed his pace as several different odors came to him. One made his hackles bristle, and he immediately crossed the bear off their list of potential targets. The mountain goats were a little more promising, but when given the option of deer, the decision was an easy one. The goats were in their element here on the mountains and would be a harder catch, especially with the ground being so wet.

"Do you smell that?" The alpha asked, after waiting for the rest of the pack to catch up and hit the same scent markers that he had.

"Yeah." Agarian breathed out as his tail began to sway side to side in anticipation. "Deer and goats. The goat smell closer." He added, looking to his father for guidance.

Crow, Hawk, Waterlily, Iopa, Firelight, & Icara

"I smell it." Firelight exclaimed in a hushed tone, as if their potential meals were close enough to hear. Curious amber eyes jumped to her father, "Which one are we going after?"

Icara had moved away from the group, slipping past Agarian and Stormrunner to inspect the tree. The copper-gray wolf reared up on her hind paws, pressing one forepaw against the trunk to get a good look at the marks left behind by the sow. "What about the bear? It might try to steal our kill." Her nose quivered as she let it hover just above the tattered and shredded wood, taking in whatever information she could on the other predator.

Hawk initially paused over the pile of scat, feeling a rush of excitement strike him at knowing their next dinner could be over the next ridge or two. But like Storm, when the scent of deer and blood found his nares, his mind quickly went for the more likely target.

Trailing behind Hawk, Waterlily came to more or less the same conclusion. The quiet female kept her thoughts to herself though, letting Stormrunner quiz his children over the scents. Whatever path was chosen, she would happily follow.

Iopa lingered near Crow when the pack came to a stop, and the elder male noticed how winded the alpha female sounded. Quietly, so as not to draw attention to her, the silvered brute murmured, "Are you alright, Iopa?"

The sable-gray wolfess shook her head dismissively, "I'm fine. It's just been a bit since we've hunted in the mountains."

Stormrunner & Agarian

"We can handle a single bear." Agarian said with a voice of confidence to answer his sister's concern. But this assertion was followed by a furtive glance back in Stormrunner's direction, subtly checking to see if his father agreed. The young wolf hadn't actually encountered a bear up close and personal before, and had no idea if their pack could fend one off or not.

The alpha had become distracted though, and missed not only his son's quick look, but the comments of his daughters. "Hawk, mind taking over the lead from here?" He asked, while brushing past his children and moving back towards Crow and his mate. Now that they'd all come to a stop, he could hear Iopa's heavier breath, and the quieted words spoken between her and the silver wolf. Storm touched noses to his mate before stepping in beside her, "Everything okay, Io?"

Crow, Hawk, Waterlily, Iopa, Firelight, & Icara

"I can handle that." Hawk was quick to answer back as his cousin brushed by, and let his gaze trail after the alpha as the two embraced muzzles at the back of the group. Leaving Storm to tend to his mate, Hawk quickly ran through the babble of voices he'd heard in the past few moments and trotted forward to where the adolescents were. "The deer is going to be our best option, especially with the ground being as slick as it is. The goats might be close, but-" Hawk tilted his head upward, looking to the steep terrain and steep cliffs that intersected the land, "-such a hunt could be dangerous. And the scent of blood tells us that the deer might be injured, and easier to catch." With Agarian's latter comment also lingering in his mind, Hawk joined Icara in investigating the tattered tree trunk. "Black bear."

Waterlily stepped forward at this point, coming up beside Hawk to have a go at the ursine scent. "You brother's right, Icara; we can handle this bear. It's a young female, and a black bear at that. She won't bother us."

Icara stepped back from the tree as the two adults crowded forward. Between their assurance and that of Agarian, even if his wasn't backed by experience, the young wolfess felt better. Ever eager to prove herself, she looked down the hill where the odor of blood seemed to be coming from, "If it's injured, it should be pretty easy to chase it down."

A twitch of muscles set Firelight's tail into motion. Caught up in the excitement of the hunt, and encouraged by Hawk's lack of concern over the bear, she didn't pick up on the worry over her mother. Instead she too looked down the hill, "I can start the chase!" And without quite waiting for Hawk's go-ahead, the young Firelight began to stalk quickly down the steep terrain, doing her best to find and follow the trail.

Hawk chuckled at the eagerness of the yearlings and nodded to Icara and Agarian, "You two follow after, but don't go all out right away. If we end up chasing this deer, you'll need to fill in if Fire gets winded. Remember your training, and take turns." With that advice given, he gave Waterlily a friendly side-thump with his tail and started down the incline.

Crow followed after, given Stormrunner space to talk with his mate.

Iopa met Stormrunner's nudge with a gentle lick against his muzzle. "Just a little winded, I'll be fine." The slight rasp to her words betrayed the wolf's message though, and there was little she could do to hide that. "Go on, help with the kids; Crow and I can route the deer if it tries to double back."

-Deer-

With a bit of effort, Firelight is able to pick up a stronger scent of deer down towards the base of the steep slope. Some distance out from here, a relatively fresh drop of blood is found mingled in the fallen autumn leaves, along with a few tufts of deer fur.

If the trail is followed, it will lead to the Tall Grass Prairie.

Stormrunner & Agarian

Agarian lingered a moment where he stood, just now cluing into his mother's lagging pace. Then Hawk and Waterlily were speaking, and his attention shifted back to the hunt. Firelight had already taken off down the hill, and Hawk was handing out some basic orders in lieu of Storm's leadership. The idea of bringing down a deer quickly overshadowed everything else, and with renewed excitement, Agarian started down the slope to trail after his sisters.

Stormrunner remained behind, refusing to leave his mate's side. "Hawk and Lily have it handled up front." He answered back with a soft smile, belying his true concern. "The kids need to hone their skills anyway, a wounded deer is the perfect opportunity for them." And as Firelight and the others started down the mountain, Storm checked his stride and kept shoulder to shoulder with his partner.