That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari stalked quietly through the weeping woods, following the scent of blood. Autumn was proving to be an excellent time to hunt. Many prey animals were rutting. This festival of sweat and hormones inevitably lead to blood shed and Dómari had been keeping on the look out for the wounded animals who would make easier prey than the healthy ones. A young two-point but had gotten in a tangle with a much more mature specimen and was dealt a painful loss.

Dómari bent his head once more, nostrils flaring as he picked up the scent. He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by if he could.

Azure was out and about when he caught the scent of the stranger with whom he'd hunted the long-tailed beaver. The man seemed skilled and friendly, and seeing as he was so close to the Armada territory this time Azure figured he was definitely allowed to tag along. He caught sight of him crouched and sniffing the ground, and Azure moseyed right up alongside him as if they'd been friends for life. Politely - almost as if he respected the man's solo hunt - he whispered to him. "Hi again, what're we hunting?" The excitement danced within him and before he could stop himself, he'd ducked into a play bow with his rear end wagging back and forth. Hopefully it'd be something even cooler then the beaver. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari 's ears twitched at the sound of approaching paw steps and he turned to see the odd looking pup he'd set a snare with some time back. He grinned and dipped his head in greeting as the pup settled down next to him as if Dómari had clearly been expecting him and he was definitely participating. Well, he could appreciate the kids enthusiasm and it would certainly be easier with a partner.

"Deer. There's an injured buck I'm tracking. If you smell around here you should be able to pick up the scent of its blood. Want to give it a try?"

The other wolf was gracious about letting Azure attend, and though he didn't want to believe that he'd be sent away from the hunt he was still relieved to be allowed to participate. "Oh, cool." He responded simply, sticking his nose to the ground and inhaling deeply to find the scent trail. Azure was not the best tracker, the last time he'd had to track something he gave up half way through and simply barreled towards the prey. It had fled, obviously, and Azure would have gone hungry if his dad hadn't shown him how to set up a trap instead. "Maybe you should do the tracking, since you're older." He conceded after a moment. It took so much patience to stay on the correct trail, and Azure had little patience. "I'll follow you though and practice." That way if he got bored or moved off the trail, he could realign himself with the older male. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari nodded. "Alright sounds good, follow me." He was anxious to get started. He didn't want the buck to get too far ahead and so he stalked forward, following the scent. There was some patience involved and he had to stop a few times to make sure he was heading in the correct direction.

Luckily they didn't have to go far to find the deer. It was drinking from one of the streams. Dómari crouched down and gestured for the pup to join him. "Ok, can you be super sneaking and sneak around that big willow tree to get behind the deer? Then when I nod, see if you can scare it and chase it toward me." He also planned to sneak and forward so that the boy didn't have to scare it far. He just didn't want the deer running at the boy.

Azure followed diligently behind, sniffing after the man as he tracked the bloodied deer. When they came upon it, Azure could see it's injuries and how it made for a much easier kill. Easily the pup was able to focus better with the potential kill just ahead, and his notched ear flicked towards Domari to catch his words. The boy kept his eyes upon the creature, slinking slowly through the foliage as to not make a noise that might ruin it for them. It took him a while, but Azure made it to the far end of the prey. The wide loop he'd made kept him far enough that the deer couldn't see him nor hear him, and Azure let his muzzle poke out of the bushes just long enough to see his partner and ensure the male was ready. Then quickly he sprang, snarling and snapping from the bushes and trying to make himself as fearsome possible so the deer wouldn't think twice to see his youth. It worked, and quickly the buck pivoted away from him and began it's desperate sprint to safety right towards Domari. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari waited patiently, pleased that the boy was taking his time. The youth tended to be pretty impulsive and impatient, much like he was at that age, so he knew this was a challenge. The pup made it to the far side of the deer without alerting it to his presence. The buck had been just about to lay down when Dómari nodded. Right on cue the boy sprang forward and the buck stumbled up, tripped into the river and just as it was about to regain its footing Dómari was at the bucks throat. He seized hold, pushing his chest so it was flush with the bucks chest and his arms around the base of its neck. This close proximity made it more difficult for the buck to hurt him. He hoped the boy was being careful not to get kicked. They struggled and twisted until finally the buck was dead.

Dómari released the buck's neck and shook the water out of his coat. He grinned at the boy. "Good work. Do you want the tail from this one to?"

Azure chased behind the buck though was much slower in comparison. By the time he'd made it close enough to help, the deer was already dying. Regardless, he grabbed a fleshy rear thigh and shook it a bit so he could feel like he assisted properly. Once the man released it Azure came up around the body nearer to the male. His eyes narrowed accusingly as he asked if he wanted the tail from this one too, and Azure felt maybe perhaps he was teasing him. Well, the long-tailed beaver was a beaver, and Azure wouldn't be convinced otherwise. "Noo." He responded, as if the very idea was ridiculous. "That's silly, I want.." Azure thought about it hard, thinking what trophy an adult might go for since obviously the tail was a bit weird. "A horn." He trotted up to the buck's head and enclosed his jaws around one prong of it's antler, yanking hard like he would to try and break a branch off a tree. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."