That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari eyed the deer that grazed the Algoma Prairie. It was an excellent place to hunt and with autumn in full swing and winter not far behind Dómari was determined to make himself useful. Of course hunting deer solo was a risky and difficult affair. There did seem to be a doe with some sort of cough. For the moment she was his target. On either side of him rested his companions, a black fox and a white fox. They could help herd to a certain extent but they were too small to really help bring down prey of this size. Dómari continued to watch the deer as he tried to work out a strategy to hunt them. If he could herd them east toward the inlet he might be able to cut them off and in the mad scramble to shift directions he might be able to corner her.

He hadn’t been this far West in a while, and he had decided it was well past time he saw what was going on near the territories Ashen had once held. He was surprised to find the scent of a pack that reminded him more than a little of Archon, in their old haunt. He backed away, and was making his way through the Prairie, when the lush hunting life here gave him an idea.

He considered calling to members of his pack, but it was a decent walk, and they might not hear him over the distance. He was considering how to proceed, when his eyes alighted upon the man and his foxes, and he had himself a thought. He approached the white-nosed wolf and called out a soft greeting, not wishing to startle him or the prey. “Say, if I help you take down the doe for your.. pack?” he had scented that of Valhalla on the man's coat. He remembered their Alpha, she had helped him take on a bear. “and you help me take down another, that would be about even” The Warlord offered with a friendly smile. It would mean the work of two hunts, but their packs would both win out at the end.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari was engrossed in his contemplation, so much so he didn't notice the other man approaching but Lynvarr did. The pale fox nudged him sharply, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned his head and stared at the massive man with his strange, and dangerous looking fangs. The stranger wasted no time in speaking and Dómari listened intently before grinning and nodding. "Consider it a deal. I'm also looking to skin and tan the hide when we're finished. If you help guard against predators while I work I would happily do the same for you. My name is Dómari Xanilov by the way." He felt it would be good to at least know the man's name before the hunt began.

"There's a doe who's ill. If we can herd them east toward the inlet I think she'll fall behind and be unlikely to brave the waters. Then we move in on her. Sound good to you?"

Sirius often tanned his own hides, but he wouldn’t say no to the chance of seeing how another wolf went about it. He didn’t like to leave any of a prey go to waste if he could help it. He gave his nod of assent, thinking he would probably help the man and set Bast on guard, but he would see how it worked out. “I’m Sirius” he said, as Domari gave his name. He didn’t bother with the full tank and title, moving on from the introductions already.

“Sounds like a plan” he agreed, turning his attention to the herd, and with a glance at the other hunter, he would begin. He moved into sight of the herd, keeping himself to one side, expecting Domari to take the other to keep them going on the path they wanted. Bast ran on ahead, ensuring they didn’t take a sudden turn on the Warlords side.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

The man introduced himself as Sirius and agreed that the plan sounded good to him. Sirius moved into position and so did Dómari. He moved to take the other side, his companions spreading out near him, one ahead and one behind. At first Dómari moved low and slow but as they neared the herd it was time to move. Dómari leapt forward into a dead run, barreling toward the herd, anxious to get them running so that the weaker animals would fall behind.

The deer scattered. A buck slipped by him but as the creature wasn't the target he just let it go. The deer were pushed hard and soon the sickened doe was trailing behind the rest. As they came to the inlet some of the deer bolted across but several others tried to scatter along it's bank. The ill doe skittered to a halt then panicking it bolted toward Sirius' side.

His companion of the moment would be quick to go to the other side, and for having never met each other before this day, they managed to work well enough as a team. The both of them set to a dead run, and the heavy bodies of the two wolves thundered against the ground. The startled herd began to scatter, and moved across the prairie.

Domari’s plan seemed to be working, so the Warlord kept at it, as the healthier animals slowly pushed out, leaving the doe in their wake. They hit the waters edge, and their target panicked, racing towards the Warlord.

He lunged at her, throwing her down in the dirt with the weight of his body, as Bast closed in beside him for assistance. He got a kick to the stomach that left him winded, even as his elongated fangs grazed its flesh. His second strike got it around the neck, and its panicked frenzy increased as it tried to buck him free. Bast threw her weight across it as his teeth pierced its throat, and spilled her blood across the grass. He pulled himself back to his feet, panting and grinning as he looked to Domari. “Alright, want to show me how you skin her?” he asked, curiosity in his tone.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari kept on the does heals, snapping and keeping her in a panic. When she tried to dive off to the side he was there, forcing her back toward the larger man. There was little the creature could do as Sirius leapt for her. He seized the doe around the neck while Dómari latched onto her right thigh, seeking to apply his weight and make it harder for her to struggle free. Soon the doe passed and the hunt was successful. Dómari released his grip and took a moment to catch his breath.

He licked the blood from his fangs and nodded at Sirius' offer to show him skinning techniques. "Yea, I'd like that." Dómari had his own method of skinning but it was born out of necessity, not skill or technique and he was eager to learn any tips and tricks that he could.

Domari had thrown himself into the fray just as fearlessly and Sirius could feel his respect growing for this new hunter. He didn’t have many hunters in his pack, and the thought of taking this wolf up on more hunts entered his thought. He would just have to think of a deal that would make the temptation worthwhile.

Sirius dragged the doe a little further from the water, so they wouldn’t contaminate it with her blood, and set Bast on guard to the side, so he could sit and pay attention to what Domari was doing. He also flexed his feline like claws within the man’s sight. “If you need precision work, i’m your man” he offered, letting the hunter take the lead.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari grinned and nodded. "Sounds good! If you want could you make the cuts around each leg? I'll get the neck and center line cut." Dómari moved to the doe's neck. He positioned his fangs close to the corner of her jaw and then carefully began to work his fangs in. His companions assisted, lifting the deer's head and maneuvering it as needed until Dómari had a clean cut all the way around. He then began working his jaws onto the underside of the neck, working a cut right down the center of the deer, again utilizing his companions as necessary until he had a nice cut from from t to back on the doe. He was focused on the hide and was careful not to puncture the abdominal wall. At least not yet. He'd have to decide if he wanted to drag the deer back to Valhalla and how much weight he'd want to carry.

With Bast keeping watch, Sirius would settle next to his hunting partner. He slid his claws from their sheaths, and looked to where Domari had pointed. Wordlessly, he got to it, making the cuts around the legs as indicated. He would pierce the flesh, and then slide his claws across the skin, parting the flesh easily with the sharp, feline claws.

As he did so, he would occasionally look up to see what Domari was doing, and take note of the way he used his fangs to accomplish similar work. The paid worked surprisingly well together, and well Bast watched outwardly, the other wolfs creatures would shift the kill this way and that to utilise the wolf's fangs to the best of their ability.

Once he was done with his cuts, he stood back, giving the hunter ample room. “What’s next?” he asked.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Sirius made swift work of his task with his claws. Dómari felt a tinge of jealousy at the mans many gifts but he knew he had to work with what he had. He grinned. "Ok, next make a cut from the rings around the legs up to the center line and then start pulling the hide back." Dómari moved back to the next and carefully started peeling the hide back to demonstrate. "Once we get one side done we'll flip it over and finish the other side." He moved back to the neck and began peeling before working his way down toward the belly. He coordinated with Sirius so that he wasn't in the way and so that the flesh was less likely to tear or be damaged as it was pulled off from the legs and the abdomen. The last part was the tail and Dómari took on the task of slitting that and peeling it away from the little bit of flesh the hide clung to.

Domari gave his next instructions and the Warlord sighed and crouched beside the kill again, stretching out his knuckles as he surveyed what the other hunter meant. Bast continued her watch, to an untrained eye it would appear as though she lolled peacefully in the sun near the wolves.

Sirius got back to work, copying Domari’s motions, peeling back the hide as demonstrated, working surprisingly well as a team as the two of them finished one side of the deer, and carefully flipped the creature, and did the other. What they were left with was a lot of meat, essentially. Once the gritty meal was done, and the hide was prepared to Domari’s satisfaction, the Warlord got back to his feet, popping his joints.

“Alright, if we get Bast to protect the kill, we can get started tracking the second one” he suggested, continuing the plan to bring back a kill each to their packs.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

They flipped the animal over and got to work on the other side. It took time but Dómari found the process to be well worth it for there was so much that could be done with a nicely tanned hide. Though his mind was currently on using a section to cover the opening of his den against cold air once winter started moving in. Not that the west was likely to be too impacted by winter storms. Dómari worked along a similar rote, working his teeth into the hide as he carefully peeled the flesh back. He started from the neck and worked down until at last the hide was pulled completely free from the animal, to the point they could set it aside.

Dómari licked the blood from his lips and nodded. "Sounds good, I'll leave Lynvarr to help to just in case." Of his pair of foxes Lynvarr was the most amiable. Áskell tended to get into trouble so he'd rather keep working the ebony fox until he burned off the rest of his energy.

“Onwards then” Sirius said in agreement, pulling away from the dead creature, and moving to trail along the Prairie. Marshal took back to the sky at his movements, and began to scout ahead. He rarely needed to deliver verbal orders to his companions these days, the three of them had worked seamlessly for a long time.

After a short scout, they found where the rest of the deer had run off too. After the time it took to deal with the coat of the first deer, they had finally started to settle again, if rather cautiously. After surveying the herd, Sirius would find that one doe had in some way damaged its leg in fleeing from the wolves the first time. She would be slow now, and they could use a similar tactic to separate her from her herd. Sirius nodded her head in the right direction in case Domari hadn’t seen her yet. “There we go” he said softly, their newest victim picked out.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

"Sounds good to me!" Dómari followed along after Sirius, seeking to follow the male's lead for this next hunt. He couldn't wait to show Aurielle everything he'd been working on. Valhalla was going to be well fed and well stocked this winter, that was for sure! They scouted through the prairie until they found where the deer had settled. His ears perked up as he waited for Sirius to pick the target he wanted. He gestured with his head and Dómari scanned the herd before noticing one of the does was limping. He nodded swiftly. Ok, he saw the target. He kept his voice low as he spoke, not wishing to startle the deer who were likely to be more alert since their first brush with the wolves.

"Ok, what strategy do you want to use. Same as before?"