Hunkered down in the longer grass of the prairie much like a big cat, the grey and black woman waited for the opportune moment to attack. Before her were a herd of antelope. Pronghorn to be exact. She wanted the horns to craft weapons from, but the meat was tasty as well. The hide could be used for other things. First, she had to catch one. Sneaking forward a few paces, she let her lone eye scan the herd for any injuries or weaknesses. As a lone wolf, she had to use quite a bit of strategy when bringing down prey. It wouldn't be an issue, however. She'd been at this for a long, long time. Eventually, an older buck drifted close. There was an open wound on his shoulder as though he'd been slashed by something. The wound was making him limp. Perfect. Not only would he be easy to kill, but she would be doing him a favor as well. Now, all she had to do was wait for him to settle into position. "Speech"

Drifting off from the packs borders to do a bit of exploring of the area around the Armada and Ashen, he found himself picking up on Resin's scent while he traveled. Wondering what the woman would be doing out here, he simply followed it out of curiosity and perhaps a bit of boredom. He'd set out alone with every intention of being alone, but his plans changed when, for once, he had found a familiar scent. The scent was getting stronger the longer he moved, but it wasn't until he came upon a prairie that the scent was strongest and he thought he could make out her shape hidden in the grasses before him.

Approaching from behind, he was unaware of the herd she was watching, waiting to take down an injured male. Noticing she was crouched however, he did the same and crawled quietly through the grasses until he came to her side, noticing then what she was spying on. "The buck with the injury, hm?" He said quietly, just above a whisper, glancing over at her then.

"Speech!"
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As usual Mæva spent her days in the prairie polishing up her hunt skills. Most of her prey were rabbits and other small mammals and birds but that didn't stop her ambition to try taking larger prey. While tracking deer she picked up a familiar scent. Swiftly, the girl set to following the scent and soon she came upon Resin and an unfamiliar male.

"Psst, Resin, are you hunting? Can I help? I'd only want a bit of meat." After all, for now she was hunting more for experience rather than food but she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for a hot meal.

As she assessed the herd, not one but two wolves found her. First Magnus crept forward. She smelled his now familiar scent before she set eye on him. The barest of smiles turned up the corners of her mouth. She was smiling more easily these days, it seemed. He noted the buck in question and she nodded in agreement. She'd left her armor and steel claws behind today. They weren't necessary when hunting and would only slow her down. Instead her ash and onyx coat was bare to the elements as were all of the furless scars that laced her left side. The second wolf to find her was Maeva. The girl asked if she could join and instantly began bartering for meat in exchange. The maned woman snorted softly. "Of course you can join, Maeva." She wouldn't let the girl go hungry. With her team in place, the grey woman crept forward as quiet as possible. "It won't be able to run terribly fast, so let's simply run it down." Once the antelope was facing away from them, Resin snaked forward to close the distance. Only when everything fell into place did she leap forward from her hiding place and give chase. Ears tucked against her skull, the woman's powerful legs pumped, carrying her across the prairie in pursuit of her fleeing meal. "Speech"

He sat in silence while Resin nodded in agreement to the injured buck he'd noticed her watching. When another came up, they and their scent were unfamiliar to him. Not another Armada wolf, but he hardly cared. Glancing at her for merely a moment, he was quick to focus back on the buck that limped through the grasses, unsuspecting his imminent death. They'd be doing this buck a favor, and likely the herd too. He was slow and an easy meal for them, but for the herd he was a target. Really, he was just protecting the rest of the herd by distancing himself, like he knew the wolves were watching.

Risen allowed the other wolf to join in the hunt before going over a simple tactic to hunt. He'd be surprised if the buck could make a few fast steps before tumbling, making their hunt even easier than he could have hoped. He nodded in agreement and waited as Resin had for the buck to turn. He too crept through the grasses, keeping on the far side of Resin and the buck to keep it from veering away in case it had more strength than they anticipated. A moment after Resin, he took off from his own hiding spot and began to head for the rear of the buck, angling himself towards it's right side to cut it off in case it tried to bolt the other way.

"Speech!"
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Mæva grinned as Resin said she could join. She settled in, ears alert to what their plan would be and she couldn't wait to get started. Resin started to creep forward and Mæva also slunk down into the grasses, creeping forward with the older woman. She nodded at the plan. Run the prey down. She could do that and she was grateful for Resin's straight-forwardness. Elaborate hunting plans with half a dozen steps weren't really Mæva's style.

Resin leapt into action with the man close behind and Mæva bringing up the rear. She moved swiftly and as she saw the man move to the right of the animal, she shifted to move to the left. Though still a pup she was only half a season from being a yearling and was only a few inches shy of her adult height. She hoped she'd be big enough to help keep the pronghorn in line.

She didn't look to see if the other two fell into line. If they didn't, she would do her best to bring the injured buck down on her own. She had faith in them both, however. She didn't have to look. Powerful legs brought large paws pounding over the prairie. Resin kept her ears tucked and her neck in line with her spine so that she could cut through against the wind with less friction. The woman's ashen tail flared out behind her, shifting this way and that to enhance her balance. The herd scattered, calls of alarm coming from buck and doe alike. They didn't matter. Only the prey animal in question mattered. The buck did his best to run with the rest of the herd, trying to lose himself in the scattering ungulates. The one-eyed woman had him locked in her sights, however. Coming up quickly behind the injured buck, Resin sank her teeth into one heel, pulling downward in an attempt to throw the buck off of its feet. Its survival instinct was still strong and it kicked with its opposite leg, forcing her to release her grip. The action cost her a few steps, but she was right back on it and running behind the buck a moment later. "Speech"

The younger girl was quick, bringing up the tail and moving towards the left as he took the right. He fought to catch up with Resin and the buck, forcing his muscles to work hard to keep up with them. He was heavy and speed was not on his side, but he was strong and could take the strain for a while. When Resin leapt for a hoof, sinking her teeth into the hock of the prey only to let go when the animal flailed and kicked to break free. Magnus dodged the stray kick, but lost a second in doing so and pumped to catch back up.

He reached out for the other rear hoof, the one Resin hadn't gone for, and sunk his teeth into the hock hoping that two bleeding feet would be enough for the buck to crumble and topple to the ground. Putting the breaks on, he lowered his rear and skid across the ground while being drug by the buck as it kicked and struggled to run on three legs. Unfortunately the hock he'd managed to catch also slipped free from his grip, but he felt the warmth of blood as it stained his maw and was quick to collect himself and continue the chase. The animal was limping now, hobbling with two injured legs and struggling to keep up it's speed. It was far too slow for the wolves now, and as Magnus fought to catch up with the trio he glanced between the females wondering who would take the winning shot as he now brought up the rear and struggled to catch back up.

"Speech!"

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Mæva raced along beside the pronghorn, doing her best to keep pace with the speedy creature. Suddenly the buck through it's head to the side as if it were going to try and gore her. Mae skittered to the side and eyed the buck warily but as Resin bit the pronghorns leg it slowed, kicking out violently then slipping away again.

Mæva quickly picked up the pace, debating how she should go at this creature. The male took hold of the buck's other back leg and that's when Mæva saw an opening. She dove forward for the back of the left elbow, latching her jaws firmly over the joint and holding on for dear life as the buck thrashed. As the man lost his grip the buck kicked forward with it's hind leg but as it did, unable to stand on one good leg, it toppled over onto its right side.

Mæva yelped as the pronghorn kicked out again, its left hind leg striking her right hip and causing her to lose her grip.

All three did their part. Falling back was part of hunting and one had to simply get up and go again. It was a dance where one waited for an opening and, when Resin saw hers, she took it. Magnus had managed to slow the pronghorn further with his bite and weight. Maeva had brought the beast to the ground, now the scarred woman would end it. Diving forward between flailing legs, the woman's jaws opened wide. Teeth sank into the soft flesh of the antelope's throat and held firm. Resin whipped her head back and forth, ripping open the wound and allowing a wash of blood to gush forth. It would make short work of the buck and soon his kicks and flailing would end. Not even waiting for it to fully die, Resin released its throat and tossed herself into the grass, tongue lolled and panting. Hunting was rough work, but they had done it well. She cast her lone eye towards the pair with her, but mostly Maeva who had been kicked. "Are you alright?" She hoped that the girl would be fine, for not even a moment later they would be surrounded and assaulted by a band of cackling hyenas. Inwardly, Resin groaned. She was a predator magnet... "Speech"

Finally, the animal was down. He'd slowed it, the girl brought it down, and Resin finished the hunt. He saw the girl get kicked as he struggled to stand up and stopped and moved towards her when Resin called, yet they weren't alone and he feared the worst when he heard the wicking laugh of the hyenas. A kick like that could have down a fair amount of damage to her hip, so he could only hope she would be okay. Protectively, he placed himself in front of her to attempt to shield her from the incoming thread.

"Do you want to fight them or run, Resin?" He swallowed the fear in his voice, wondering just how many hyena's were circling as he looked back to Maeva and wondering if she had the strength to even take one hyena after that kick. He hoped that abandoning the kill and possibly saving their lives would be what Resin would pick. None of them were starving right?

Mæva stumbled back to her feet, wincing as she stood. By then the hunt was over as Resin delivered the killing blow that brought the pronghorn down. She nodded. "Yea, I'll live. I can put weight on it so nothing's broken but boy I'm gonna have a bruise." She'd need to get some salve from her father once she got-

Mæva froze as she heard a strange cackling sound. She turned to see strange and super ugly dog-like things moving in on the kill. "Those are the ugliest coyotes I've ever seen." She looked to Resin as the man asked if they should run but in that moment, as her head turned, the hyena closest to her lunged. Mæva's sharp hearing caught picked up the movement with enough time for her to dive to the side, just narrowly missing the jaws. Ok, well, it was looking like fight. To be honest Mæva wasn't sure she could outrun them with her injured leg but then a fight wasn't going to be easy either.

As the hyena's began to circle, Resin took her attention from her companions and turned them fully to the intruders. She did hear Maeva say that her leg hurt, but she could walk. Walk... but not run. Magnus asked if they would stand and fight. Just as she was about to answer, one of the beasts lunged at the injured girl. "It seems that we have no choice." Planting her hind paws, the scarred woman dove forward, slamming her chest into the side of the attacking hyena. The action sent the creature yelping and bouncing across the ground. The trio of wolves were no match for a pack of hyenas and their only course of action was to flee. Without casting a glance towards either of them, the giantess spoke. "Let them have the kill. They will harry us until we're out of sight, so we'll have to fight some. Magnus, protect Maeva as best you can." The girl was injured and so was the priority. The ashen woman's pelt bristled and she snarled, serrated teeth bared for all to see. Stiff legged, she stalked towards the pack of cackling beasts, keeping herself between them and Maeva. The dame began edging her way backwards, away from the kill and the hyena's pursued. One rushed her and Resin leaped forward to meet it, teeth latching into the flesh of its face. Others ran in, biting and snapping before fleeing again so another could take its place. That was the way of hyenas. "Speech"

Magnus looked Maeva over a bit, then nodded swiftly as Resin spoke. The hyenas were cackling as they surrounded, a few for Resin and a few for them. Magnus snarled, his fur bristling along his neck and spine as the adrenaline began to rush through his veins and excite him. He turned himself towards the approaching canines and put himself between Maeva and the beasts. "Do you want to run or fight?" He would much prefer Maeva try to run, or at least put some amount of distance between herself and the hyenas while he and Resin fought to keep a few at bay.

One of the hyenas lunged for him straight on, diving low and trying to use it's shorter height at an advantage to get under him, but it didn't work. Magnus lowered himself and braced for the impact of the smaller dog and met them with sharp fangs snapping at the hyena's muzzle, scraping some flesh from it's nose but hardly chasing it off. Other hyena's were approaching them, likely aware of the girls minor injury, making him worry for the girl. He did his best to stay between her and the approaching hyena's, but the more that came the harder it would be.

The same hyena lunged again, this time trying for air, and Magnus was quick to swipe it out of the sky and send it into it's ribs onto the ground before he ended it's life with a quick snap of his teeth into it's neck. Picking the limp carcass up, he swung and tossed it towards another hyena, effectively scaring it off with the body of it's brethren used against it. Those weren't the only ones though, so he took the moment to check on Maeva to see how she was doing.

Mæva tested her leg as the adults put themselves between her and the predators. It was at that moment as she got a good look at them that she recognized what they were. "Hey, I recognize what those are, they're hyenas. Azure and I ran into some awhile back." Course then they had her companions as well as his and were able to rival their numbers, not to mention she hadn't been injured then. Mæva wished Geira were here but she knew the cat was traveling. "I can run. It hurts but nothing's broken." She'd been injured enough by now to be able to tell and it certainly helped that her father was a skilled healer, patient in imparting knowledge.

"I'll try and run." Much as she hated to let the nasty creatures get their kill she didn't want Resin or the strange man getting hurt because of her. Turning she started to lope away. It wasn't a smooth fast run, almost more of a loping hop but she was making good ground and finding her rhythm. One of the hyenas saw this movement and thought of pry suddenly charging for her.

Teeth bit into her haunch and the grey woman spun, one big paw lashing out to collide with the jaw of one hyena in a sort of punching fashion. The beast yipped and reeled away, but another was soon taking its place. There were ten or so and they where whirling around the three wolves. She was glad that Maeva could move and encouraged the girl to do so. Resin was relying on Magnus to help protect the weakened pup while they worked their way out of the situation. Though he was checking on her, there was no way that Magnus could be everywhere at once. Resin noted the rushing hyena and dove forward, her head connecting with its ribs like a battering ram. She could feel them crack beneath the impact and the creature spun away, screaming and cackling in pain. Others took up its spot, biting at the woman that had broken their packmate. Thankfully, most of their bites were quick, irritating nips that only pulled out Resin's thick fur. Still, she spun and snapped, saliva trailing from her toothy jaws as she bit into one retreating form. "Speech"

Maeva was managing to make some distance between them and the hyenas, but as one made it's way towards her he allowed Resin to take out one that was heading for him and he charged towards the beast, snapping and growling at it in warning before lunging for a leg and twisting it out from under them to give Maeva a better chance at escape. Others were on his tail though, and quite literally. Once his teeth released the gnarled leg of the one assailant, he felt the teeth of the smaller predator grab his tail. A yelp was replaced with a guttural roar as he whipped around, ripping his tail from the animals mouth and shoving a shoulder hard into the hyena's own. Despite the mouthful of fur in the hyena's mouth, it yelped and retaliated by trying to grab at his face. It'd made purchase, tearing the flesh at his jaw and allowing his blood to drip down and stain both of their pelts.

Heaving himself onto his hind legs with the hyena still attached, he body slammed it into the ground with the same shoulder and broke the hyena free from his flesh, effectively injuring it enough to ward it off. His flesh hung from his jaw, but the wound was really only minor and hardly any of his concern at the moment. He stood then, his back turned to Maeva to allow her to keep loping away as he faced the last one that dared to approach him in that moment. With a nearly rabid sounding snarl, he lunged for the hyena and it ran, deciding it best not to screw with Magnus anymore. He chased it down, and being much faster than the smaller canine, he tore a rear leg out from under it and swung, tossing the mongrel onto the ground. He didn't let go though, leaving the animal to writhe in his jaws as he stared down the remaining hyenas, threatening any more to come close to him while their comrade was locked into his jaws.  

"Speech!"

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Mæva dodged swiftly to the side, twisting around as her fangs sliced into the hyena's side, causing lacerations but failing to get a hold as she had no intention on holding one of those nasty things so close to her. It yelped then when down hard as Resin slammed into it. Keeping low Mæva stuck to patchier ground, hoping her markings would help her blend in more with areas that were a mix of snow and dirt.

She felt guilty for leaving the other two to fight but she knew she'd likely just be in the way. Scrambling to the edge of a stream she swiftly crossed, then hid in a patch of dried, dead reeds, peeping out to see if Resin and the guy were coming.

Teeth and claws bit into every beast that approached. She and Magnus did their best to keep the hyenas attention on themselves rather than on Maeva. In time though, they realized just how far they were from their stolen kill. Most turned back to their free meal while others harried the threesome a little further away. Once they were forgotten by the pack, Resin ushered Magnus and Maeva onward a little more, just to place some distance between them. Her pace slowed to a stop eventually and she grumbled. "Wasted effort." She then looked to Maeva. "Are you alright? Just bruised?" If the girl was injured enough to be seen as prey, Resin would insist that she came back to the Armada with her. "Speech"

Magnus snorted and watched the hyenas book it back to the meal they'd hunted for them, annoyed they had to put forth so much effort to hunt the meal and then defend themselves from the wild pack just so they could have it. Thankfuly, however, they seemed to do them more harm than they had done to the trio and at least that was somewhat of a win for them. His attention turned back to the young girl across the stream and made his way over.

Ushered a bit further by Resin, he came to a slow stop while Resin questioned the girl on her injuries. Magnus sat then, allowing himself to briefly relax after the battle before they would carry on back home.