Inferna Antonis

Her pale pink eyes scanned the dense forest in between one of the valleys of the mountains, her stomach growling with a hunger that had become all too familiar. At four months old, she was still learning how to hunt on her own and navigate the dynamics of the pack, but the gnawing emptiness in her belly was leading her to be a bit more adventurous than usual. Did she really need assistance? How would she even find anything on her own?

The scent of pine filled her nose as she trotted through the forest, her white fur blending with the patches of snow that still scattered the ground at this altitude. Despite the beauty of her surroundings, her mood was sour. Hunger did that to her, making her more irritable and impatient than usual.

Inferna paused at the base of a pine tree, her breath coming in soft puffs of mist in the chilly air. She had to find food, but she needed help. Swallowing her pride, she tilted her head back and let out a long, urgent howl that echoed through the trees and called for companionship and assistance in a hunt.

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Dei

Deimos didn't often get to hunt himself these days now that his time was almost entirely consumed with the responsibilities and duties of alpha-ship, but on occasion he liked to stretch his muscles and keep his skills sharp. It was easier hunting off of the island where the land was less rocky and mountainous, but the added challenge was part of the fun. He moved through he mountains, crunching through the occasional patch of snow here and there as he went. He didn't have a particular goal or prey in mind and figured he'd find his direction whenever it crossed his path. Instead, the higher pitched, urgent howl of a pup reached him and his ears immediately perked at the sound and he quickly turned to answer it, abandoning his hunt.

He was a father through and through and he couldn't just ignore a pup in need regardless of whether it was his or not. When he arrived he found a pale white girl that was nearly more pale than the snow around her and she would have blended in perfectly if it wasn't for the pink hue from her albino appearance. He recognized her as one of Desponia's new children and even though he still wasn't sure how to feel about his estranged half-sister or her unexpected litter he certainly wasn't going to hold that against the girl. "What's wrong little one?" he questioned with concern, glancing around a bit to make sure there wasn't any immediate danger.

"Deimos Mendacium"

Her floppy puppy ears gave a bit of a perk as they tuned into the sound of another approaching wolf. She turned, spotting the imposing figure of Deimos, the alpha. She knew who he was, of course, but her mother's words echoed in her mind, warning her to be wary of the rest of Elysium because of how they judge her. Still, her hunger outweighed her caution.

With a defiant lift of her chin, she met his concerned gaze, her pink eyes gleaming. "I'm hungry," she stated bluntly, her voice carrying a touch of her mother's fire. "Mama says I shouldn't trust you, but I can't hunt alone yet. Will you help me?"

Her curled tail flicked with a bit of impatience, the pangs of hunger making her more irritable than usual. She knew she was taking a risk by asking for help from someone her mother distrusted, but she couldn't ignore the growling in her belly any longer. She needed food, and Deimos was her best chance at getting it.

"I won't tell Mama if you won't," she added, trying to sound braver than she felt. The young wolfdog was determined to get some food in her belly, even if it meant accepting help from the unexpected.

His gaze went back to the pale girl with her folded ears as she confidently declared that she was hungry, causing him to raise a slightly confused brow at her. That's why she had called for help? Because she was hungry? He had to hold back a little chuckle at the silliness of pups and how the smallest thing could appear like the largest problem to them at times. He was quickly distracted from that though as the girl declared that her mother had told them not to trust him with all of the blunt honesty that only a pup could have. "Did she now?" he questioned, stowing that information in the back of his mind for later. He had mostly kept his distance from Desponia–or more accurately she had kept her distance from all of them–but perhaps that needed to change if she was going to be sowing doubt and discontent through these pups that were ultimately members of his pack no matter how young.

For now though he had the immediate issue of a very hungry pup in front of him. It made him question where Desponia was and if she hadn't at least shown the kids where the pack's general supplies were stored, but this was a good excuse for experience for the girl anyway. Before he could agree to help her, she added that she wouldn't tell her mother if he didn't and that made him grin and chuckle in response. "Your secret is safe with me. Come on, let's find you something to eat." He turned back the way he came and led her down the worn paths that the pack wolves often used to traverse the mountains. "Be very quiet, alright? Watch where you're putting your paws to avoid stepping on a twig or kicking a rock," he instructed her quietly, lowering his head a bit so he could whisper to her comfortably. His own large, bear-like paws rolled carefully and quietly over the rocky terrain, comfortable and familiar with this kind of terrain now.

The scents of mountain goats was a common one in these mountains so it was easily recognizable as the wind changed and brought their scent toward them. He slowed for a moment, scenting the air. A mountain goat was perhaps too ambitious or dangerous of prey for a pup to go for, but it was something he could take down himself without too much strain and there was a lot to be learned from observing. He glanced her way to make sure he had her attention before he nodded the direction that the scent seemed to be coming from and began to lead her through the mountains and pine trees. Eventually they reached a ridge where a half dozen goats were all perched on various ledges and grazing on hardy grasses and shrubs. He crouched down between a couple large pine trees, keeping to the shadows and using the strong smell of the pines to cover their scent. "We have to be careful up here. A wrong step could send you tumbling down the hill," he warned in a whisper. "There's plenty of meat on one of those goats though so they're excellent prey."

"Deimos Mendacium"

Inferna watched Deimos very carefully through a scrutinizing gaze, her pink eyes narrowing slightly as he raised a brow at her declaration. She didn't appreciate being thought of as silly, even if she was just a pup! But when he chuckled and agreed to help her, she felt a spark of hope for getting her belly filled and that brought excitement. Her tail began to sway, maybe this hunt would be a chance for him to prove himself to her. Inferna was a big deal, after all.

As they moved through the mountains, Inferna did her best to follow his lead, her small legs stretching to get her little paws into the exact indents of his own so she didn't make a wrong step. She avoided making any noise, which wasn't hard to do with her smaller pup size. The scent of the mountain goats reached her nose and her stomach growled louder, urging her to hurry as her mouth watered.

When Deimos crouched down between the pine trees, she mirrored his actions, her white fur pressing into one of the pines as she let it shadow her. She peeked through the branches carefully, spotting the goats perched on the ledges. They looked big and challenging, but she trusted Deimos to guide her safely. Unless... he was sending her into a trap! She side-eyed him for a moment, trying to assess if she could trust him before shrugging her shoulders quietly and deciding to give it a go.

Inferna nodded as he warned about the terrain, understanding the danger but her confidence was all too great. "I'll be careful," she whispered back, her voice just a little irritated that she had to reiterate that she was listening. She sighed and steadied her focus.

She kept her gaze fixed on the goats, her heart racing with anticipation. This was her chance to learn how to hunt for herself, and show that she was more than just a hungry pup! She was a fierce hunter! With the alpha by her side, she felt oddly more confident.. despite what her mother warned her about. She looked up to him with her pale pink gaze, "What do we do first?" she asked, eager to start the hunt correctly under his lead.

[ 1/3 Tracked and killed any medium prey animal with 2+ participants ]


"Inferna"

Deimos smirked a bit at the girl's irritation at his warning to be careful on the cliffs. It was always the pups that had the most blind confidence despite most certainly not having the abilities or strength to back it up. It was something he always enjoyed about pups and it never failed to amuse him. Inferna was very much focused on the task at hand–reinforcing how hungry the girl was, most likely–and she questioned what they needed to do first. "First, we pick a target," he whispered, scanning over the herd of goats with a critical eye. The one closest to them would be an obvious choice, but it was very close to a precarious looking cliff so he wasn't confident in being able to bring it down without getting one of them hurt.

He lifted a paw to point out one further to their right that had begun to move up onto a piece of flatter land to get to a patch of grass. "I think that one will be our best bet. Stay here and I'll circle around to the other side where those trees are," he told her quietly, pointing out where he was going to position himself. "It doesn't take much to get them going so when you see me in position over there you run out at them to startle them and try to drive that one toward me, okay?" In truth he was ready to leap out and take the goat down regardless, but he wanted her to feel involved as well. With his instructions given he got back to his paws and turned to quietly move through the trees, keeping a little distance from the goats to keep from alerting them to his presence. Once he was in his new hiding spot he leaned around a tree to get Inferna's attention and gave her a wave with his paw to signal her that he was ready.

"Deimos Mendacium"

Inferna listened intently, her eyes locked on the goat that Deimos pointed out. She nodded enthusiastically, her determination solidifying as she absorbed his instructions like a sponge. This was her chance to prove to an King that she could be more than just a pup in need of help, and that was a pretty big deal to Fern.

When Deimos moved to take his position, Inferna felt a mixture of excitement and nerves. Her heart pounded in her little chest, but she pushed aside her worries. She couldn't afford to mess this up and look helpless. She had no idea Deimos could handle this on her own, she was absolutely sure she was contributing.

As soon as she saw Deimos wave his paw, signaling he was ready, Fern took a deep breath and steadied herself. She focused on the goat he had chosen, its head down, munching on grass, completely unaware of the danger lurking nearby.

With a sudden burst of energy, she leaped out from her hiding spot, her small form darting towards the herd. She let out a few sharp barks befitting of a wolfdog, her high-pitched voice echoing off the cliffs. The goats reacted immediately, their heads snapping up in alarm. Inferna grinned and zeroed in on their target, her eyes alive with a fire that told all how much she was enjoying this.

She did exactly as Deimos had instructed her to, charging at the herd and driving the chosen goat toward where he was hidden. Her legs pumped furiously as she kept up the chase, pushing the goat closer to Deimos. The thrill of the hunt coursed through her veins, and for a brief moment, she forgot all about her hunger and her mother's warnings. This was fun. This was about proving how strong she was, and she was doing it! Even if she was still young.

As she drove the goat closer to Deimos, she glanced in his direction, her coral gaze flashing with her excitement. She was ready, trusting him to finish the hunt and bring down their prey.

[ 2/3 Tracked and killed any medium prey animal with 2+ participants ]

"Speech" - Thoughts

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Deimos continued to lay in wait, watching for Inferna to do her part in their mountain goat hunt. The pale pup raced out from her hiding spot, her high-pitched barks echoing well off of the sheer stone and cliffs of the mountains around them and giving her presence a bigger, more imposing feeling than it actually was. It never really took much to get these goats moving, but he Inferna was still doing a good job regardless. He watched as she honed in on the goat he had pointed out and started chasing it off in his direction and he waited in the shadows, legs coiled beneath him as he waited for the right moment. He didn't want to jump out too soon where the goat would have a chance to redirect their path and get away, but he didn't want to wait too long and let the goat figure out that this pup wasn't really that much of a threat to it.

As soon as he was confident that he could reach the goat within a couple strides he leapt out from his hiding spot, making the goat they were hunting try to skid to a stop and turn away from him. It was already far too late though and he bit down on the goat's throat with a hard crunching bite, cutting off the panicked bleat that the animal made as the knocked it to the ground. Even though he very well could have completed this hunt on his own, he had to admit that having Inferna here to even just act as a distraction was quite helpful. He held the goat down and kept his bite on it was killed and he could let go with a satisfied sigh. font color="#6cb2cc">"Well done!" he praised his hunting partner for the day, giving her a smile as he licked the blood away from his lips.

"Deimos Mendacium"

Inferna skidded to a halt as she saw Deimos leap from his hiding spot, his large form easily overpowering the goat. Her heart raced, not just from the exertion but from the sheer thrill of watching the hunt play out as Deimos bit down on their prey. She had done it! She had helped drive the goat right into his grasp!

As the goat's panicked bleats were silenced, Inferna took a few cautious steps closer, her pink eyes wide with a mix of awe and excitement. The smell of fresh blood filled the air, and though her stomach growled even louder, she felt a strange satisfaction. She had helped, even if she hadn’t made the kill herself.

When Deimos praised her, she perked up, her small tail wagging slightly in response. "I did good?" she asked, her voice carrying a note of surprise mixed with pride. It felt good to be acknowledged, especially by someone like Deimos.

She padded closer to him, still keeping a bit of distance as he licked the blood from his lips. "Can... can I help eat?" she asked hesitantly, trying to mask her hunger but knowing she’d earned a place at the meal. Despite everything her mother had warned her about, Deimos had been nothing but kind and helpful. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

For the first time in what felt like ages, Inferna allowed herself to relax, feeling a sense of accomplishment settle in as the tension of the hunt faded away.

[ 3/3 Tracked and killed any medium prey animal with 2+ participants ]

"Speech" - Thoughts

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