ooc; this thread takes place in the BUFFALO KNOLLS. It will be moved upon the correction of a site-wide glitch that prevents me from doing so.

Nose to the earth, Maverick found himself trailing a herd of elk outside of Seracia's bounds. With interest, the lanky russet man kept his eyes set upon the fleeing flanks of a large female. She had no clue of his presence, for he kept himself a good thirty yards behind her at all times, only moving when her head dipped to the earth to graze or when she was preoccupied with the rutting bull striving for her affections. Hackles raised as he neared her, the bull having captured most of her attention. Oh, there was nothing like the rut to make hunting easy. As the doe elk stood still, eyeing the handsome bull, Maverick would steal forth a few more yards until he was within sprinting distance. Then, with the crackle of a handsome growl he would surge forth with great speed, snapping at her back right leg as he did so in efforts to sever the required tendon from her limb. As luck would have it the tendon broke free in his jaws, and the doe faltered and fell - bleating for assistance, but her handsome bull was long gone. He swept in a wide circle around her, avoiding her three flailing limbs, before delivering a killing bite to her jugular. The blood stained his muzzle even darker red as he cast out a howl for Seracia to come to the feast. It was unlikely many would hear him as he was outside of the territory, but at least he could say that he gave it a shot. Head raised as he glanced around the prairie, noting its beauty, water supply, and abundance of prey.




"Speech,"

Although taking care of a new litter was quite the handful -- having eight children would never prove to be an easy feat -- Epiphron Adravendi-Mathias had not been so at ease for some time. No longer did the responsibility of a dozen or more wolves weigh heavily on her shoulders; no, only of eight young children. With the departure of winter, came so much possibility, and she swore she found feel her worries physically slipping away from her. Soon, the lands would be flourishing and bright, and already the earth was beginning to thaw and the snow beginning to melt. Her husband's scent was easy to follow, and as she awake she quickly arose and took after him. She would pause briefly to stretch, blinking the sleep from her eyes and taking in the early afternoon sun. His call would soon follow his scent, and she returned it with a howl of her own, signifying that she would join him. He had taken down an elk, enough to feed their entire family and more -- and a smile would grace her delicate features as she increased her pace to pad over to him. "What a catch," she noted with a playful nip to his ear as she drew alongside him, beaming proudly at him and his kill.

Her arrival would not go unnoticed, and it seemed his luck was still with him - for the very wolf he'd anticipated had indeed arrived. He would lean into her as she brushed against him, feeling her fangs graze his ear. "Indeed," he would murmur huskily in her neck, not at all referring to the elk. "I didn't know you were following or I would have let you help." He would glance over the elk as she lay still, tongue flicking across his lips. "Shall we? I don't think we could hope to drag her back, I guess we can eat our fill and then go fetch some of the kids or others and lead them here." Dead weight was not easily moved, and he had no intention of hurting himself or his bride by attempting to drag the kill closer to Seracian borders. He would glance hungrily at the elk once more before settling near her hip and delving into the warm flesh. After a bite or two he would draw back momentarily, "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if we're not outgrowing the Range.." Prey was not as plentiful there, hence why he hadn't bothered to pay much attention when he'd skirted outside of known pack borders. The cattle still ranged freely, but he had been feeding on them much more than he should have been - they were supposed to be saved for a rainy day. He would allow her to ponder for a moment as he took another bite of flesh.


"Speech,"

Never would she have expected to have such a large number of children at just three years old. And already she had ruled a Kingdom, but she had forfeited it just as easily as it had become hers. Though the strive for power still coursed through her veins, she had come to realize there were things far more important. Few things -- but enough to keep her from feeling restless at being in a lower position within the pack. Nine reasons -- eight children and a husband. Her smile was genuine, and her tail would wave freely behind her as she approached. "You took this one down fine yourself," she observed, willing to strike his ego, even if he did not need it. "But I would love to join you in a hunt sometime soon." It seemed like she had been cooped up in her den for so long, having two litters of children in one year, and she was eager to spend some time outdoors with him, especially with such lovely weather now that spring had arrived. And soon they would need to teach the youngest four how to hunt -- and their older siblings could certainly aid them. "Sounds like a fine plan to me." No one in the pack was starving, otherwise she could find them now. And there was more than enough for many wolves to eat their fill. Epiphron would lower her body to the earth to join him, following suit and beginning to tear into the elk's flesh. She would gnaw on the meat contently as she listened, ears flicking on her skull as he spoke. She would gulp down the food she had in her mouth before parting her jaws to speak. "You're probably right, my love," she agreed readily. Only with Maverick was she so willing to trust everything he said, with every ounce of her being, with so little hesitation. "But do you think the Kingdom has enough strength to expand its territory?" This land seemed uninhabited, and quite fertile, but the Range had many benefits also.

She would stroke his ego, almost resulting in a purr from the contented male, and yet he would let out a simple chuckle in response. "Always the compliments." She would utter her want to hunt with him in the future, and he would silently vow to invite her along next time. It wasn't as if he'd excluded her this time, he just hadn't asked for her attendance either. "I will remember next time, and perhaps sometime soon we can bring our new additions along." The younger four would certainly be itching to learn to hunt soon, and a large family hunt would be the perfect setting. The older four would serve as crowd control, and to be honest they each still needed work on their technique. She would agree to his terms and start readily feasting upon the kill as he prattled on about their outgrowing the range. Epiphron mentioned one of the concerns he harbored with the idea of expanding, though he was sure it could be overcome if they worked hard enough. "Certainly patrols would have to be intensified, but I'm not sure Seracia will have much choice. Our family alone stands at ten in just a year - not including my extended family - how many more wolves can we expect of Seracia in the coming months?" Certainly Dragon and Aeil would be thinking of a family, and Gerhardt would likely want another litter someday - perhaps there would be even more of their own children in the coming years. In the Adravendi-Mathias line alone there were nearly twenty wolves. It seemed there would be no other option but to expand. "I think I'll mention this land to Loccian, it'd be wise to take it on at least for hunting - we can't expect the cattle to last forever." He fell silent as he gnawed on the bone he'd exposed, contemplating diplomatic thoughts. It seemed the once-King would never fully give up on grand ideas of leadership.


"Speech,"

Epiphron would let a soft laugh, licking blood from her lips. It truly was relaxing to not have to worry about watching after twenty or so wolves in addition to their children. Eight was more than enough to handle; though she would admit, her youngest litter was almost always well-behaved. "It should be safe. It has been months since we've heard anything of the northern wolves." Once, Glaciem had held a strong reputation, when the pack had been controlled by Gargoyle -- it was something entirely different now. Even speaking the pack's name seemed to be giving their leader too much credit, credit that he did not deserve. "This land seems fertile," she noted simply. The range was not, despite its promise of stability and protection. Epiphron wondered if she would forever be bound to this place -- or if such tied might be broken. Once, she could have never imaged leaving Valhalla, but she had learned that some things were far more important than one's homeland. Duty and honor was not just for one's home, but also for one's family. "I do wonder how my family is doing back in Valhalla. Last I heard, they were preparing to leave the plains. Too many bad memories." She shook her head slowly, before leaning to tear another strip of meat off the elk, giving in to silence.

She would say that she assumed them to be safe, since they hadn't heard from the northern pack in some time. Maverick thought differently, but for now he would bite his tongue. The russet once-King had a feeling that the northern wolves were only biding their time before they struck a blow once more, though with the movement of Valhalla it wouldn't be easy on them. Even Seracia didn't know their precise location. "It does," he would voice in agreement, the land certainly did seem fertile enough. "Not to mention it would give us a chance to expand our horizons, to trek over new and unscouted land." There was something to be said about a new landscape to view, a sight for sore eyes. Seracia was beautiful in it's own right, but perhaps members would be less likely to wander if they could wander privately within their own grounds. He would nip off another piece of meat, chewing it rather ungracefully while Epiphron spoke. He would swallow hard and reply, "I don't blame them for moving, I can't imagine any of them feeling safe in the plains after war was waged on their very borders." As much as he disliked the idea of leaving Seracia, a war might be the one major thing to drive him off. His family came first, above anything and everyone else. Epiphron, Amalia, Cassius, Quintus, Arian, Caeto, Celeste, Finiarel.. they were his life, his everything - and they always would be.


"Speech,"