Bull Cookies!

Emboldened by his success with the mountain goat, Úlfr sought to try tackling even larger prey on his own, just to test himself and see how he did. He knew the odds of taking a healthy animal were slim and dangerous so he hoped that luck would fall on his side and he could find one with injuries. His first thought was to hunt for elk. He'd heard them bugling in the Knolls and decided to give hunting he large creatures a shot. He knew it was probably foolish, but he was eager to test his limits. So often in previous hunts he was forced to keep out of the way and help mostly with running the animal down while the more experienced hunters moved in for the kill. This time he could do what he wanted at his pace.

Úlfr quietly slinked through the bushes and taller grasses as he tracked the scent of elk. It was a fairly calm day. Sunny and warm for autumn, at least as far as he knew. He supposed this was his first autumn but he remembered Valdís mentioning how cold it got during autumn in her homeland and that the south was much warmer. He was grateful for the warm weather. It made for good hunting, or at least more comfortable hunting. Soon he came upon a small herd of elk and he immediately noted an injured male. The animal was huge in comparison to himself but far smaller than the larger male it had clearly just lost to. The notable injuries were blood down its front and gashes along its upper left leg. That would be his target and what a fine trophy it would make if he were actually successful. Not likely, but he still wanted to try.

Úlfr snuck quietly toward the herd, weaving in and out of the tall grasses which eventually gave way to the shorter grasses the elk were grazing. He kicked off with a burst of speed and charged toward the herd. The sudden appearance of the wolf was enough to send the elk running as they attempted to flee for their lives. Úlfr was almost a yearling and as such probably looked full grown to the elk who were unaware of his limited experience. He kept pace behind the elk, keeping his eyes peeled for the weak and slower animals, namely the injured male. Though if there was some elk with a serious illness he'd not sussed out he was happy to go for that one as well.

As the chase went on the herd began to splinter and fracture. They came to a stream and some of the elk bounded across the water while others shifted course. The injured bull was falling behind and as it did it lost sight of the wolf. It was that moment Úlfr sought to attack. He charged forward, his legs eating up the distance between himself and his prey. He pulled along the elk's right side and with a leap he latched onto the back of the leg just above the elbow. He bit down hard and arced his back to try and slow the elk to a point where he could abandon his hold and go for the throat. This was definitely not easy. As he tried to hold on the elk surged forward then tried to turn. In doing so it's right hind leg ended up on Úlfr's right side and he found himself awkwardly straddled by the elk. In a moment of panic he released his hold and dove out from between those dangerous legs.

The elk started to take off again and Úlfr quickly followed suit. He didn't like being surrounded by dangerous hooves but he was determined to give it another shot. He had no idea where the rest of the herd was and he didn't care, his focus was entirely on the elk ahead of him. With a burst of speed he caught up and bit into the elk's left hind leg. Úlfr immediately jerked his head back, pulling down sharply as he used his weight to slow the elk. It shifted its weight to its front legs and tried to kick out with the free leg but Úlfr was far enough away to be out of the line of fire. However, he was now in that awkward position again of needing to get at the animal's throat while clinging for dear life to one of its legs. This experiment was rapidly confirming why wolves hunted in packs.

Úlfr released his grip and bounded for the elk's neck but as soon as it was free the bull surged forward and Úlfr's grasp landed near its shoulder. He dangled there for a moment but soon lost his grip. The elk took the opportunity to gain ground and Úlfr, panting, decided to return home. This just wasn't going to work solo but that was alright. It occurred to him that with such large prey even if he did take it down he wasn't strong enough to drag it back by himself.