Rosemary had traveled far south after the zebra hunt, with a very particular prey in mind. Confident that if he couldn’t use his brawn his brain would win him battles, the piebald wolf crept low, the smell of wine and rotted fruit filling his nostrils as he struggled to find his quarry. The animal was rare thankfully and exotic, making it perfect for them plan he had concocted. Silently he eyed the small tawny herbivore, laying on its side, leisurely feasting on grapes. It was perfect. He dropped closer to the ground, one large paw reaching forward as the thin chains on his harness jingled near imperceptibly. “Whatever you do.” He told his sister. “Don’t kill it outright, and don’t eat it until I’ve finished with it.” He explained, mentally checking that the obsidian knife was still strapped to his harness. He would need it soon to cut and prepare the hide he intended to harvest. "Catch it by the legs or throat and try to smother it." speaking

Lucretia nodded quietly to Rose, cataloging his request. She had eaten recently and had no need for additional food - in fact, the thought of raw meat turned her stomach. It would take some time until she was truly hungry again. There was too much to be done with the arrival of Dea and Deathbelle's puppies. The creature they had their eyes set on was strange. It was striped, pinched, and plump all at the same time. Poor thing, blissfully unawares of its own imminent death. She separated from Rose's side and slipped around to pincer the herbivore. Luce laid low and quiet, creeping ever closer to the small animal. With his specific instructions, she supposed that he had a grand plan in mind for the animal's pelt. "lucretia mutters..."

Rosemary burst from his cover, the frightened animal scrambling to its feet with a terrified mewl and darting to the left, its gait slightly tottered with drunkenness. Rosemary leapt and cut the creature off, watching as it skittered and spilled onto its side before bolting away straight toward his sister. Rose had seen the creatures in his homeland, the small nearly bite sized antelope were rare and the pelts they made resembled the mythical creatures their father had described: Striped wolves that could unhinge their jaws like snakes, long ago driven to extinction by humans and their destructive folly. He was suitably pleased when he caught wind of the small animal while scouting, and with the market quickly approaching a dark plan had begun to unfurl in his mind. speaking

Lucretia headed off the animal's escape, trying and failing to subdue a snort of laughter at the animal's sad attempt at escape. It was a funny creature, for sure. She wondered what he planned to do with it. With a grunt, she rammed into the creature with her shoulder and sent it bowling over. Nimbly, Luce scrabbled after it and caught the thing's neck in her mouth. Although it struggled, its small size meant that she was able to hold it completely still. She didn't want to move without Rose's command. He could get so touchy sometimes, and heaven forbid she interfered with his unspoken plan by mistake. The killing blow would be his responsibility. "lucretia mutters..."

With the animal firmly caught in his sister’s jaws Rosemary sauntered casually toward his prey and sank his fangs into its neck, gripping it hard with his back fangs and strangling the life out of it. Rose rather liked strangulation as a form of killing prey, it left the pelts pristine and unmarked, able to be tanned without worry. The creature gave a frightened mewl, kicking its legs wildly as it tried to escape until it was still, its eyes rolled back into its head as its body went limp. Rose held on to the animal for a short time after it went slack, assuring that it wasn’t simply playing dead to escape and let it fall to the earth. “Perfect.” He purred, withdrawing his knife from his harness to begin cutting, first the throat to drain the blood then the belly and limbs in clean dissecting cuts. speaking

Luce held on to the animal firmly until Rose let it drop to the earth. She backed off, licking the blood from her lips and curling them slightly at the taste. It soured on her tongue. Politely, she turned and coughed and rubbed her jaws furiously on the ground to scrape the blood off of her muzzle. Once she'd been cleaned, she watched Rosemary curiously with his new toy. "what do you have there? did you acquire that at the festival as well...?" Maybe some wolves made out better than a headache and some booties. "regardless, what's your plan for this little thing?" Luce had been so caught up in preparing for the upcoming births that she hadn't been paying attention to the whispers of the Harrajandi market. It was likely that she wouldn't have time to break away from her duties for the festivities even if she did know. "lucretia mutters..."

“No sweet sister, I made this myself." He said, humming a pleasant tune as he processed the kill, working his blade under the flesh to separate the skin from the meat and cutting away the limbs and neck with his gilded fangs. He was still humming when she asked her second question and felt a grin rise to his features. “I plan to trade this hide at the market, I’m sure it will fetch a high price.” He told her coyly, weighing mentally if she should tell her the full extent of his scheme. He loved his sister dearly but some things were better left unknown or with as few participating parties as possible, and this he felt was one of them. speaking Thinking  you

She knew him well enough that there was most likely more to his plan than he was letting on, but she didn't care enough to ask any more questions. The little creature might have been rare, but typically wolves sought larger, lusher pelts. It was hardly more than a slip of a thing, only fit to keep a puppy warm or comfortable. Curious. But she trusted him - even in his schemes. There was enough on her plate with Belle and Dea expecting as it was. "you seem to be rendering the hide handily - is there anything else I can help you with?" she inquired, eyeing the carcass as he flayed it. The act was wholly unappetizing. "lucretia mutters..."

He finished cutting the hide, careful to avoid the head and limbs as he stripped the back off the creature and broke a rib off the creature’s carcass to scrape the remaining fat and viscera. “Do you have any salt with you?” He asked casually as he worked, the rat chewing away happily on the creature’s eye as he worked. He would need to make a stretcher for it when he got home but by the time the market rolled around he would have the perfect hide to settle any trade that might arise. Unless of course that dog Sirius bid against him. The man was a titan now with all the experience he had garnered with nonstop training and truth be told Rosemary feared him. With his bladed fangs he cracked open the creature's skull and withdrew the brain, smearing it like soap on the pelt to ensure the hide would be soft and pliable to the touch. speaking

She watched him work without comment. Preparing a hide for curing was something she was vaguely familiar with, but she hadn't been expecting this when he had invited her along. "No, unfortunately," Luce admitted, observing Rose's methods as he went. "We could drag it through a tide pool or shallow ocean water on the return trip?" The Klein suggested, hoping it was a viable alternative. It was a rather attractive pelt, even if it was a small thing. The journey back to Ashen lands should be interesting. Rose always kept her entertained.

His fat little rat enjoyed its snack. Luce gave it a sidelong glance as it went about its business. "Where did you find your little friend again?" Wherever it was, she'd make a mental note to stay far away. There was no telling what contaminants lurked in an area that spawned a two-headed creature.

He hadn’t considered that and found himself grinning at the thought. “Resourceful as ever my dear Lu.” He purred, the brain now congealing in clumps on the pale underside of the flesh. The brain would cure it well but salt would ensure the pelt stayed strong and might even thicken the hide. He stretched the pelt out, blood still seeping from it and grinned wider as his sister asked her question. “In truth, they found me, this creature has served many, a prince, a queen, and now me, finding me most suitable for their services, or at least they certainly seem to enjoy my presence.” The two heads of the rat cackled in unison. “We live to serve.” Write chittered. “Anyone skilled is worthy of our attention, and he most certainly is.” Ruin answered. speaking