He did not admire the idea of being away from Eniko for long, but with Winter on his shoulders and prey of the late fall not being very promising in their new home- he decided to go on a hunting expedition without his companion. For now. He would be sure to bring him back something from his catch, but instinct told him to check the islands for better prey.

In a desperate attempt to find a promising meal before the snow really hit, he dove into the waters of the canal the large island created and made his way across it. He enjoyed the swim, the agile canine letting his head dip below the waters to admire the clear view to the sands and fish below. After what had to be a little over an hour, the shepherd finally felt ground beneath his paws in the shallow water of the shore and pulled himself out of the ocean. Near immediately, he noticed the thickness of the air and the warmer temperatures. Even in Winter, the island didn't seem to be effected by Winter quite the same as the rest of Boreas. It's tropical environment was welcoming, and with perked ears of interest the shepherd knight made his way further inland.

Almost immediately, he stumbled upon the tiny tracks of small island deer. Their hoof prints were almost light enough that an untrained eye could walk right over them, but the skilled hunter lowered his neck to the ground and wasted no time in getting familiar with their scent. There were several of them, though he knew he could only carry one.. perhaps two if he were to strap another to his back.. but he would never be able to manage taking more than one down without the help of another.

A potent combination of hunger and wanderlust had sent the woman far from her usual hunting grounds, continuing in a path that was hardly a straight line until she reached the coast, staring at the waves that lapped against the shore like a pup mercilessly licking an older wolf. Staring across the waves she could see an island. Perhaps that place would host an environment more hospitable to prey animals. Having nothing better to do and a rumble in her stomach that was beginning to grow bothersome, Caelum dove forward into the water and began paddling.

It took longer than expected to reach the other side, causing Caelum to almost turn back when she realized she was more than halfway there and it would be smarter to press on and get to the other side. When she reached it Cae hauled herself out of the water and shook several times until she didn't feel quite so sopping wet, then trotted deeper into the fascinating island.

She soon scented something on the wind. Multiple somethings, actually. Prey animals were heavy on the wind, but another creature's scent also caught her attention. It smelled vaguely wolfish, yet still a bit off. Curiosity pushed her forward, legs eating up the distance and before she knew it she could see something, or rather someone. Had hunger sent this canine on the prowl for better hunting as well? Unable to restrain herself she cautiously approached him, calling out in a friendly voice, " Hello there! Are you here in search of prey to?" She figured there would be plenty of prey to go around, it smelled like there must be a fair number of creatures already nearby after all. Perhaps they could work together.

He was busy picking up the scents on the island, so busy that he didn't notice the woman's approach. His angular snout was pointed low as his neck outstretched far below the level of his spine. The shepherd's thick limbs spread out to either side of him, toes digging in the sand as if playing with it while he continued to pick up the trail of the deer.

It wasn't until her charming voice rang clear that the shepherd's large ears perked up and he stood at attention like the true knight that he was. He turned around to face her respectfully, his build relaxed yet confident as he leveled out his stance. "..in fact, yes." He smiled a haphazard smile that held a slant to one side before he canted his chiseled muzzle, the bridge of his nose flat and expressionless yet bent and full of character in only a way that a shepherd could accomplish. "I am on the trail of what I believe to be a small herd of dik-diks. I don't suppose you are interested in working together with a stranger? My name is Phantom, and quite honestly I was hoping I might run into someone else out here. There's more than enough to make startling the lot of them worthwhile." Without the protectiveness over Eniko getting in his way, the young adult was ever the charming socialite- but he was focused. A friendly smile remained on his lips, but if she were to deny him he would make the best out of hunting alone.

It was odd to see a canine who wasn't a wolf. Upon his facing her this was the first thing she'd thought. She had to admit that his pelt and interesting features were pleasing to the eye, and since he seemed rather friendly she would act the same, pale ears standing to attention as he explained what he was doing and introduced himself as Phantom. The idea of having someone else to hunt with was exciting, and an opportunity she'd not easily let slip away. "I'd love to join you! It's been a while since my last meal, and it would be good to have a chance at catching more prey." She'd let her front legs slide forwards, stretching into a bowing position and enjoying the feel of her muscles loosening up before adding, "I'm Caelum, nice to meet you Phantom!"

Today felt like a good day already. Finding an island full of prey, and someone to catch it with felt like a stroke of good luck. Cae's tail would wag a few times excitedly, causing the rest of her body to wiggle slightly. Whatever it was that put her in such a lovely mood today, she hoped it lasted a very long time, and that that this hunt they would go on might be as successful as possible. Before she stood back up she'd take care to get another whiff of the dik-dik's scent.

The shepherd watched her carefully, his light blue eyes almost glowing as they lit up when she agreed to join. This was his first time meeting a stranger on his own in Boreas and he was absolutely thrilled that he'd met someone as friendly as the lady before him. He gave her an appreciative bow of his head, a common courtesy when showing your approval in the kingdom- some things would never change.

As she announced her name, he put on his wide shepherd's smile and swayed his tail lightly. "Caelum," he said it again, just to commit it's sound to memory. "It's my pleasure."

As she started hunting down the scent of the dik-dik's, he crouched over the prints that he'd found and began searching for it's most discernible points. "As you can see, I'm pretty sure they were heading this way..." He lifted his head, looking out toward a cluster of trees and overgrown ferns. Something about this island seemed peculiar compared to the rest of Boreas that was now at the mercy of winter, he couldn't describe why it occured, but the tropical paradise seemed to be fighting off the colder temperatures quite well.

He moved down the trail a bit, though he didn't get very far. It appeared the dik-dik lived in thickly grown in fields of ferns and other jungle flowers and shrubbery. He knew entering would alert them, they'd hear the rustling of the ferns from a mile a way.. now he just had to figure out how to keep the element of stealth even with this hindrance. Maybe his friend had some ideas?

Having someone to hunt with was absolutely thrilling, Cae had a hard time containing her excitement at first, tail swinging to and fro wildly for a bit while she listened to his words. "Likewise!" She replied without skipping a beat.

He would observe the tracks again as she watched intently, nodding as he explained what direction they were going before falling silent one more. They'd follow the trail only a short distance, soon coming upon the spot where their prey seemed to be residing, hidden out of view in the cover provided to them by the thick foliage. She had to admit it was clever for such tiny creatures to hide in this spot. Entering would alert the little animals long before she even knew what direction they were hiding, and they'd be long gone before she or her new-found hunting partner got their bearings.

Her brows furrowed a bit while she examined the situation carefully. They could not go straight into the shrubbery before them. They were both probably too large to easily slink low under it so that was not an option. That only left... above? To her left there was nothing helpful, but to her right! There! Slinking forward on quiet paws she approached the spot, motioning for Phantom to follow behind her. In front of them stood the form of a large fallen tree, the top of it seeming to have sunken a bit with decay. Wordlessly she made the jump, trying to land with minimal noise. Cae waited a bit, seeing if there would be any movement nearby that indicated sh had been heard. For now there was nothing, and she proceeded to creep forward, making room for her new companion to follow her while she gazed out at the thick greenery and tried to spot any sign of prey below them while taking a second to enjoy her crafty approach to preserving the element of surprise.

Below the two canines, the small creatures munched on the bountiful greenery around them, ears flicking about occasionally as they remained ever on alert like most small animals must do to survive. Cae could make out a few of their small forms, clustered in a group. She glanced back at Phantom, wondering where he wanted to go from here. It would be smart to try and get several of them, though how they would get more after they took down the first one or two she couldn't figure out.

As Caelum motioned for him to follow, the shepherd perked his ears and watched carefully as she led him to the fallen tree. He had to admit, it was a clever idea and he couldn't believe he'd not thought about it before. Hunting on his own was a lot different than hunting with a kingdom's army, he'd have to get used to thinking of innovative ways to make a solo hunt worthwhile. He followed behind her carefully, also pausing when she did to make sure they hadn't been heard. He was a master at being silent, but doing that at the same time as balancing on a tree was something new and different so he took his time.

It wasn't long before they came up on them and Caelum stopped moving, which was great because he wasn't sure how much of the tree they could climb and still be safe on. His tail swayed behind him for a moment as he watched the, eagerly thinking the same as she. How could they grab the most? He had an idea, and with what they had available to them, he felt like it really was their only option.

His glassy eyes found Caelum as he inched up to her, clearly wanting to tell her something. He hoped she would turn around to let him whisper in her ear, but if not he'd try his best to remain as quiet as possible. "Count of three, drop and try to land on the pair farthest from us. I'll land on the three directly below." He could feel his heart racing as he pulled away and looked back down to the dik-dik's below. Apparently, he was salivating and he didn't notice because he felt a bit of his drool fall from his lips. His eyes widened as he realized how much a problem that could be if it hit one of them and alerted them. Luckily, the droplet landed a little behind.. but one of the little deer flicked an ear and he decided not to press his luck.

Without actually putting any voice behind it, Phantom mouthed the words: "One, two.. three!"

Suddenly, the beast pushed off the tree and outstretched his limbs. His forelimbs aimed to catch one very precisely while he tried to swing his butt to land on the other two that were grazing beside it. He hoped that his impact would at least injure one of them or stun them long enough for him to grab them before they took off running for their lives.

His mouth was agape and swiftly crushed the tiny deer's skull as he came down. Before Phantom was even fully landed, he was certain at least one of them was a certain kill. He quickly let go as he felt his hips land on bodies of the other two, both started squirming and kicking and with his... sensitive areas... at risk of being kicked, he quickly stood up. One went running high speed, but the other clearly had snapped a couple of it's limbs. Phantom didn't waste any time, it broke his heart knowing how in pain the poor thing was. He twisted his body around as his teeth found the poor thing's skull and snapped it quickly, just like that.. the thing was pain-free.

He lifted his head, looking for Caelum. He hoped these two were enough for he and Eniko, but if not he was sure he'd come back and try this strategy again some other time.

It wasn't long after she'd been pondering how to get the most possible prey when she noticed Phantom inching closer and turned a bit so they could get close and speak without scaring away the small creatures that stood so close by. She nodded in response to his instructions, glad he had come up with some sort that would hopefully get them plenty to eat. Turning carefully so she was facing the deer once more she waited eagerly as he began the silent countdown, sinking into a crouch, leg muscles tensing in preparation of her jump.

On three she pushed off of the log and leapt forward, sailing over the undergrowth with legs outstretched and a grin on her face. the lower half of her body landed squarely on top of one of the beasts with a solid thump, clearly doing some damage with the impact alone, eliciting a pained cry from the stunned creature. Though she hadn't managed to land on the second creature, her forward momentum sent her front paws to push hard against the animal's side, effectively knocking it over, away from where she landed in a heap on top of the first poor victim. Deciding to go for the sure kill first, she looked down and grabbed hold of the dik-dik's small head, biting down with a crunch and ending it's life. Looking back up immediately after the first kill she found the second creature was now scrambling wildly, stick-thin legs flailing to find it's footing so it could escape.

Not one to allow her prey to get away without a fight, she too scrambled to right herself, jumping through the thick foliage in pursuit of the fleeing prey that had only just managed to begin taking bounding leaps away from her. She'd clearly done at least a little damage when she knocked it over, because soon after it began it's great escape it found itself stumbling with each great leap, giving Caelum the chance to race after it and jump on it's back, bringing her prey back down to earth as it couldn't handle the weight of a wolf while stumbling on weak legs. She tried not to give it the chance to struggle or panic, seeking to crush it's windpipe since she couldn't get all the way up to crush the skull as she'd done with the first animal.

When it stopped moving she rose from her position atop the now dead dik-dik and began hauling it through the bushes till she found the flattened patch of greenery where they'd made their great attack, tail waving excitedly behind her. Leaving her catch by the first carcass she trotted over to Phantom and smiled, "Well, that was exciting! I almost didn't get them both!"