It seemed like everywhere they stepped was almost treading on another pack's territory. Gathering and hunting had become a battleground for resources - every pack seemed to comb the same tired territories over and over. Prey had become scarce and herbs were rare just like any other greenery in this blasted desert. Luce was grateful for Bourbon's stable presence - he was practically the only thing keeping her sane. The schism of the pack into Ashen and the Ashen Armada was more difficult to come to grips with than she'd ever imagined. Lucretia thrived on routine and the dramatic shake-up had her feeling strange and out of sorts. The only thing that had remained constant was Bourbon and his dogged commitment to her health and prosperity. It was charming, reliable, and... frustrating in its own right. Luce hated to admit that she needed a caretaker, but he had absolutely proven that she functioned much better with him by her side. Did that make her incapable on her own?

These maddening thoughts dueled in her head and turned her mood sour. They had set out today to bring back some kind of resources - game and herbs, anything useful - but she already felt hopeless. Maybe they would get lucky. Luce picked up the pace and headed towards the open grassy field that had once been rife with prey. There wasn't anything even visible to the naked eye at first glance, but she hoped there would be some smaller quarry thrashing around in the brush. "Where should we start?" Lucretia asked her companion, giving him a pleading glance. With her mind at war with itself, she needed him to take the lead. He was so good at it. 


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Looking after his mistress was nearly second nature to the dog now, Bourbon did his best for her and in turn she no longer fought with him. As though she couldn't think about it Luce allowed him to see to her daily needs. She wouldn't admit it, but to Bourbon being her caretaker was the greatest gift he could be given. He was always busy, and almost always beside his Lady. Bourbon didn’t push their relationship, but the dog couldn’t help but think of the what ifs when she curled up next to him at night.

She was in a sour mood today, but Bourbon would keep his easy going demeanor for her. He smiled whenever she glanced at him, and touched her side comfortingly as their pace increased to whatever destination she decided. He didn’t expect her to defer to him, but he wasn’t going to balk at the task. He wasn't as confident in his hunting ability after an accident he’d had, but he was sure they should try and find food first.

”We hunt first, and once we’ve spooked everything in the area go after some herbs. Hopefully.” Finding anything green was a challenge, the herbivores were just as desperate to eat as the wolves were. They didn’t ever seem intelligent enough to preserve or store food let alone tend to their wounds.

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Luce nodded sagely at his response. That certainly made the most sense. If they were rooting around for herbs, they risked chancing upon the perfect prey and inevitably spooking it away. Better to kill anything they could find while they could. Lucretia inhaled deeply and lowered her nose to the ground, swishing her tail thoughtfully. Scents flooded in, most of them stale. Larger prey had gone elsewhere. Wide open spaces had been mostly deserted since the eruption; they sought shelter elsewhere, in dense forests or across the narrow strait that separated the continents. Boreas had suffered greatly. The affection she felt for the land surprised her. No longer did she feel like a stranger here - this was her home, just as much if not more than the former Klein Empire had ever been.

She offered Bourbon a small smile, trying to banish her sour mood. Her emotions were rotten, fickle things. He was so stalwart and easygoing that Luce found herself sometimes envious. She didn't know what she'd do without his calming presence. It was better than any chamomile and lavender brew she'd ever put together. Just as she was making a mental note to thank her sister again for the gift of her companion, she caught the scent of a nearby boar. Unfortunately it was the only recent smell she could pick up.

Just as the smell registered, the pig itself seemed to pick up on their presence. Luce could hear its snuffling and then suddenly it was quiet. With a great squeal, the grass a dozen yards away began to part as the creature made a beeline towards them. This wasn't the kind of "prey" she had been prepared for, but if they worked together, hopefully they could down it. "Watch out!" she gasped, darting to the right as the creature came crashing through the brush and narrowing missed careening into the pair of them. Luce turned on the pig and lowered her head, growling fiercely. The boar was brave and undeterred, swinging around to face her and blowing hard. The fight was on!

Luce didn’t argue with his thought, not that he expected her to. Sometimes he wondered who was in charge of who. The lines were blurred so much now he felt like he was a part of the Klein Shamyn. There was nothing else in the world he wanted to do than care for Lucretia. He did manage to pull a little smile out of her and he softly wagged his tail and gazed upon her lovingly. He tried to be easy going for her, and urged her to slow down when she pushed herself too far.

They were fine right now, well rested though a little hungry. That was the best way to be when hunting. Didn’t let you forget why you were doing what you’re doing. He caught the scent of boar as Luce did, and his small form tensed. His fur bristled as his pale eyes searched the underbrush. Before he could react much more the creature realized it was no longer alone and instead of taking off it attacked.

Bourbon was torn between looking out for Luce and keeping his own hide safe, but her movement was enough to assure the dog he needed to move. The boar’s ominous tusks missed him by a hair’s breadth. He pivoted to face the boar as Luce did. He wore a huge grin and felt heartened how easily his mistress took to taking on their prey. Bourbon was alight, he balanced on his toes as he began to bark at the violent creature.

He shifted to the left, trying to distract the pig so Lucretia could have a better side to aim at. He was also mindful of keeping her out of danger. She had enough to deal with without adding injury. Bourbon was a confident dog, and didn’t let the thought of his own injury cross his mind. He was too quick for that. He weaved carefully back and forth with the boar, dancing away from harm as he harried it without cease.

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Her partner's natural herding instinct came into play effortlessly. Hunting with Bourbon was always a pleasure because he was so good at flushing out their quarry. They worked together in concert beautifully; she'd always appreciated him, but she felt her heart swell with some strange affection as he picked up on her wordless cues. He kept the boar at bay while Lucretia had time to figure out how they'd secure the kill. She gave a vicious snarl while Bourbon's perky bark kept the boar on its toes. His back-and-forth weaving made the wild pig nervous, Luce could tell. Its eyes were rolling wildly as it tried to figure out which canine to focus on. Between the two of them, the hairy beast just couldn't decide.

Luce pinned her ears and gave another rumbling growl. The boar, deciding that she was the more imminent threat, pawed the ground and charged right for her. She side-stepped only just in the nick of time, spinning around to slam into the pig's side as it soared further into the undergrowth. She met its flesh with a dull thud, groaning at the impact. It felt like hitting a wall of solid stone. The boar had just come into its prime and seemed to be made up of pure, knotty muscle. This fight was going to be more difficult than she'd thought. Luce tried to sink her teeth into its skin but her teeth glanced off of its shoulder. All she got was a mouthful of wiry fur and sweat.

She cursed and circled around the animal, looking for an opening. It squealed and tossed its tusks at her but its movements were wild and sloppy. Not many creatures could hold their own against a well-trained pair of hunting partners. There was a reason that wolves were at the top of the Boreas food chain; not many animals at all were a true threat. Although the boar would be difficult to fell, Luce didn't have any doubts they bring it down. The Ashen healer motioned towards her partner to follow up the rear again. "Try and get one of its legs, maybe we can topple it," she shouted. Those tusks would be less intimidating if they were rooting around on the ground instead of slicing through the air.

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Herding, working, Hunting, all of it was bred deep into his ancestry. Bourbon was natural, and his skills only increased when he worked with Lucretia. She brought out the best of him, and he was sure his soul was meant to be with her. His veins filled with adrenaline and his vision tunneled and all he could see was the boar. All he could focus on was keeping it from Luce, and of course his actions were not enough.

The wild beast decided his mistress was the better target and with a parting mock charge the boar swiveled and leapt towards Luce. Bourbon barked in warning and frustration as it barely missed the horned Klein. This was no inexperienced animal, it had fought with wolves before and though he and Luce were a deadly team this was still a dangerous task.

Bourbon met back up with her and they regrouped as the animal shifted its attention back towards them. Its eyes were wild and sought nothing else but to end its attackers as they wished to end it. This was their only chance at downing an aimla, everything else was spooked by his barking. He steeled himself and took Luce’s suggestion. Bourbon moved like lightning and the hog barely had time to move when teeth met ham.

The dog wasn’t actually aiming for the ham, his jaws wrapped around the creature’s cloven hoof and he shook his head with ferocity. He hoped he’d manage to damage it enough that the rest of it would be easy pickings. After they hit an artery, or tore a few ligaments it wouldn’t last much longer.

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As Bourbon dragged one of its hooves out from underneath it, the brute turned and thrust its horns towards him menacingly. Bourbon's firm hold kept the hog at a distance. It squealed and roared and kicked up its back legs to no avail. As Luce saw the creature shifting its weight back and forth, she formulated a plan. The sly female circled the pig, snarling viciously. The hog's eyes rolled in terror as it kicked out with its captured leg to no avail. It may have been a creature made up of thick, ropy muscle and bristly hair, but it was motivated by instinct and fear. Lucretia darted in and grabbed the rear leg on the same side Bourbon was worrying away at. She locked her rear legs and began to drag and tug, wrestling the pig off balance.

With a squeal-shriek, the pig was toppled off its balance and tipped over to once side. Luce dove straight for the creature's underbelly, her teeth flashing before she tore into its stomach. The wailing from the pig was almost deafening - she wished it would just die already. As she strew its innards around the pig grew weaker and weaker until it finally landed one wild kick into her temple. Lucretia grunted and reeled back, her head swimming. A cut opened up over her left eye. As head injuries do, it began bleeding quickly almost immediately. Lucretia shook her head, trying to clear the blood out of her eye. "Finish it off," she gasped. They could take care of her scrape after this cursed boar was dead.

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The dog was struggling with the boar despite how well he seemed to be doing. Somehow he managed to stay on despite the violent thrashing the boar gave him. Bourbon shook his head when he could, enraging the pig as its flesh was torn. Suddenly Luce was at his side and with great effort they managed to topple his heavy weight.

Lucretia was quick to go to his belly and spilled its guts with ease. Despite how much it struggled it was done for the moment they fell to the ground. Bourbon wasn’t a fan of her plan of attack. Had they grabbed an artery or ripped its tendon they could have followed it until it bled itself out. He caught his breath and before Luce could remind him of their task the dog went for the creature's throat. From behind and over its neck he opened the throat and moments later the boar gave up its struggle and collapsed in finality. Bourbon stepped away from the harvested animal, his panting heavy as he fell back onto his haunches.

Bourbon was covered in blood, and also hal exhausted after the struggle. Still, they managed to complete their goal without incredible damage. He nearly missed that Luce had been injured. ”Are you alright?” He asked concernedly, lifting himself up with effort as he moved to her side. His concern more than obvious.

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Lucretia gave a joyous yip as he ended the boar's life. Felling this brute was certainly something to celebrate! Relief crashed over her and as her adrenaline began to fade, her wound started to sting something fierce. "I'm fine," she reassured him. "Head wounds just tend to bleed... a lot. But it's superficial at best," Luce said confidently. Truly, the wound looked ugly: blood trickled forth freely and matted the fur above and below her eye. With some attention it would be cleaned up quickly. A poultice would slow and stop the bleeding if they could find something to throw together. "Thank you for accompanying me. I couldn't have done it without you," she said earnestly. It was true. A boar that size would have made mincemeat of her if she hadn't had Bourbon to worry at its heels. Luce was a capable hunter but any wolf would be foolish to try and hunt an adolescent pig on their own. Especially a male.

She eyed the tusks with interest. "Someone would pay a high price for these, I'm sure of it." Luce wasn't much of a crafter but Ashen was filled with wily wolves who would know what to do with a prize like this. "But first, let's eat." They had earned it after all. She had no reservations about tucking into a meal they had worked this hard for. Biting into its tough flesh, Luce could swear that she tasted some of the boar's fear and rage. It was just that fresh.

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