Éldi strode onto the prairie, his colorful 'sidekick' on his heels. He'd been pleased to gain a little hunting partner though he still didn't think the pair of them were going to take down a bison, even if she was friends with a mountain lion. Éldi slowed his pace then settled on the edge of the prairie, eyes gazing toward where a herd of bison were taking advantage of the summer grasses. Thanks to its southern location the Algoma prairie was spared some of the worst effects of the volcanic eruption. It was becoming a magnet for prey. He glanced at Aerndis then nodded to his raven. The raven took off into the air to begin scouting.

Aerndis pranced along after Éldi. She'd been enjoying hunting with the man and as a result had been the most well fed she'd probably been in at least a year. Not to mention she was gaining quite a nice cache of hides, dried meat, and bones to craft with. She was no longer able to carry them with her so she instead stashed them away in a little cave. Hopefully, they'd be left alone until she returned to Fireside with her spoils. Aerndis settled in next to Éldi, her new mountain lion companion had opted to stay back at the cave to guard their cache. That was fine. Aerndis was getting into the rhythm of hunting with Éldi. If they could find a sick bison she felt confident they could figure something out.

The dog was starting to enjoy Roan’s company, he was a lot like a big, quieter, version of Iolaire. Who was easily one of his favorite wolves. She had always been kind to him and Bourbon loved his friend. Of course their relationship wasn’t anything like with Lucretia, but he did like the woman and her man. The pair were a funny looking duet, he was a small dog and Roan was a massive man, but when he caught the familiar scent of Eldi and Aerndis he could only guess what they were up to. Bourbon didn’t hesitate to lead the way when he saw the raven take to the air, and before he knew it the familiar forms of the two wolves came into sight. With his usual happy go lucky smile on his face he approached them ”Eldi, Aernids.” He greeted with a wag of his long furred tail. ”This is my friend, Roan.” He gestured to the tall man. ”Think you’ll need a little extra help today?” He asked curiously as he reclined onto his haunches.

Roan was close to being fully healed, today would be the first day he really tested his body after the bear attack. He still showed the scars on his face but his limp was nearly gone now. Somehow he’d been volunteered to do a bit of scouting with the dog Bourbon. Iolaire was sure that the two of them would get along. He didn’t have anything against the canine, but he was just too happy for the massive man. Roan felt himself wanting what the dog had, his new family was a source of jealousy. He didn’t get upset, because he would only upset Io. Her infertility was a sore subject, and he mourned that they could not welcome a family of their own into the world. Roan was quiet as he travelled with Bourbon, but their destination became more obvious as they approached the two unfamiliar wolves. Roan gave a quick respectful nod to each, it seemed they were going to be hunting after all.

A familiar scent caught his attention and Éldi glanced back to see a familiar face. He grinned. "Hey Bourbon, how have you been? That would be great!" He nodded a greeting to the larger man. This was just what they needed. Two extra sets of jaws would definitely help with taking down the bison. "Askr should be back with a report in just a moment." He turned his eyes to the skies where he could see the raven's nimble form gliding on the breeze, diving now and then to scope out weakness. Soon the bird maneuvered back to them and landed in front of the group, giving a quick nod to the strangers before turning to Éldi.

"There's a young bull on the east side of the herd. It has a respiratory infection." Éldi nodded. "Excellent, then our strategy is simple. Get them running until the weakest one falls to the back." He wasn't the sort to put in frills or unnecessary movement. Quick and direct, that was his style. Éldi glanced at Roan. "You good with taking the kill shot? If not I will."

Aerndis was doing her best to practice patience. She shifted a bit on her paws, anxious to get going but she knew that Éldi was waiting for his companion. Askr was a useful scout and she often used her eagle, Griff in a similar manner. The birds could scout efficiently and without raising suspicion. Before the raven returned though Bourbon showed up with a friend. She grinned. "Nice to see you again. Hi, Roan. I'm Aerndis." She enjoyed hunting in a larger group of wolves and was anxious for more experience. Soon the raven returned and Éldi laid out a quick strategy.

"Works for me." When everyone was ready she slunk forward, grateful once again that her red coat would only show up as a mix of grays to the bison. When she felt she was at a good distance she leapt forward with a snarl, fangs gnashing. Startled the nearest bison began to run, hooves thundering across the prairie as more and more began to flee.

”Wonderful! You have no idea.” He became a father in the amount of time from when they’d last met and now. He had three very hungry mouths to feed, and getting something big today would help him in that. ”Luce is at home with our new little ones, we’re always in need of fresh meat these days.” He didn’t lie when he said it either, keeping the larder full was a challenge.

Éldi gave Roan the kill shot after the plan was put into place. The dog had no qualms, even if he was a good hunter he wasn’t the right canine for the job. Roan was nearly twice his height and three times his weight, he was much better suited. This time Bourbon would stick closer to the red mottled she wolf. The two of them would do most of the worrying of the herd, something he had quite the talent for.

Bourbon raced after Aerndis and the hunt was on as the herd began its stampede. Soon enough their target would show its weakness and fall behind.

Roan nodded politely to the man and woman as they introduced themselves and the beginning of a hunt was started. The plan was simple and it would hopefully be efficient. Roan was still feeling the effects of his lost battle with the bear, but this would be good exertion to help him get back to the shape he was once in. Éldi offered him the killing blow and the silver marked titan nodded his head in acceptance. ”I’ll take it.”

With little more talk the group was on their way. Roan lagged behind just a little so he could better observe the herd and its movements. Hopefully the weak bull would show himself sooner rather than later. If they were lucky another member of the herd would see it to and help the wolves in their quest. Bison were known to play the game of “as long as I’m faster than my friend.”

Roan stuck close to the viking as their target began to fall behind, only by a quarter bison length, but enough to start noticing his heaving sides.

Éldi could appreciate a man trying to provide for his family and he'd do what he could to be sure that everyone got their fair share of meat from this hunt. He joined the others in creeping forward and then in a matter of moments they burst forth and the herd started to stampede. Éldi put on a burst of speed to close the distance between himself and the back of the herd. From there he slowed up a bit and fell into a steady and even pace. Now it was a game of endurance.

Éldi kept pace, pressuring the bison to keep running and soon enough their target fell behind. He glanced at Roan, grinned and then put on a burst of speed. The bulky viking turned his jaws and tore his fangs across the bison's left hind leg, nearly getting a grip but the muscular creature just slipped through his jaws. However, the move was enough to slow it down and the viking's second attempt was successful as the bison stumbled, falling onto its forelegs.

Aerndis kept a steady pace, snapping here and there to keep the bison going. Some of the bison broke away but as they weren't the intended target she didn't worry about it. One of the cows slowed and tried to ram its head into Aerndis but she skillfully danced away and moved closer toward the center. The cow turned its attention away from her and sought to catch up to the herd. It was a pretty healthy animal so there was no sense in switching targets.

Aerndis took a moment to assess the situation and saw that the target was falling behind. She moved and began snapping at the bison's left side, seeking to stress it. When it finally stumbled she latched her jaws onto the left side of its neck, seeking to limit its range of motion.

Bourbon followed the hunting party. using his small body to weake in and out of dangerous legs as he nipped at heels and barked into ears. The herd was really moving and the wolves and him were not going to let them slow down or stop. As the target was pulled from the herd Bourbon put on a burst of speed to encourage its fellows to run harder and put more distance between themselves and the bull they were going to take down. When it fell to its knees Bourbon joined the other three in tearing it down. The smaller dog also kept an eye out for any who got the idea to turn around and return to its doomed fellow.

Roan ran hard but he stayed out of reach of any of the bison and their deadly horns. He knew very well, too well, that one wrong move could mean certain death. Roan was not ready to die, not anymore. Not when he’d been given so much to live for. He continued to run, to harry the beasts until he saw the opening. He was there with Éldi as the bison was brought to its knees. the faster they could end its life the less danger he and their hunting party would be in.

The silver marked mammoth moved in quickly, his huge black form barely registering as the bison panicked and tried to bring itself back onto its feet. It was exhausted, and its lungs were shot. They filled with fluid and the creature would not rise again even if the wolves were not upon him. Roan moved in, and like the skilled killer that he was, made quick work of the giant of an animal and the four of them were rewarded for their effort. The bison was dead.