"Talk" Walk There was a creature he had never seen before. He didn't know where the hell it had come from, but it was as tall as a tree and apparently lost. Or so it looked like it...considering he had never seen it in these parts, it was likely it had come from the same place the elephant had come from, but this thing had fur so it probably wasn't as bad off as the furless elephant had been. He watched it from his hiding spot in the tall grasses, observing the way it moved. Its legs were long and lanky, and the strange-looking knobs on its head looked like they could be used for bashing but...could its head even reach the ground? It had the longest neck he'd ever seen, surely if something about his size were to go at it, it wouldn't be able to reach...right? Granted he was pretty big for his size, but this thing towered over him, even. Still...if it was anything like a deer or something, those gangly long legs could pose a problem. Those hooves looked like it could knock out even the fiercest of apex predators, so that was definitely something to watch out for...

Nothing could stop her coming out here. As long as Habari was looking the other way, she would continue to leave as she pleased. Her companions were with her, and her bestie was somewhere nearby, too. Honestly, she was grateful to have met Havoc. The younger girl stuck up for her, which was something that Medusa greatly appreciated when others tried to put her down for things she considered normal and necessary in her own personal life. They didn't know her circumstances. They just seemed to judge without knowing. Something she hated that others did because often it seemed like they just liked to judge her because in their eyes, she wasn't normal. Whatever the hell that meant. Everything she did was for a reason, whether she - or they - knew it or not, she always had a reason. She came to an immediate stop when she thought she saw a tree moving up ahead. Only...it had some really pretty pattern on it, and it wasn't in fact, a tree, but some sort of animal with really long legs and a really long neck. She almost had the mind to go right up to it to investigate, but then she spotted the crimson coat of the guy that told her to take a bath the day they hunted an elephant. While she had yet to take a bath, she did roll around in a patch of dirt so that she smelled more like earth than she did rotten things...but there was still her signature scent lying underneath the earthy smell. No way was she gonna completely clean it off while she was still in Habari's clutches! With a grin, she sauntered right over to him and flopped down into the dirt, "What is that thing!? It looks like its neck was stretched out!" "Medusa"

She'd never seen the likes of this beast before now. Edelweiss crept closer, coming up to the rear of the skull-marking woman and veering to her left. She watched the giraffe with curious eyes, but had come here to mostly hunt. Her gaze shifted, looking at the red hued man. He seemed to be leading this hunt, so she'd defer to his judgment. Still, she was ready. If this creature tasted good, she'd call it a win. If not... She would be thankful just to participate in the experience. She required more skill to call herself a hunter and worthy to join a pack. Her mind drifted to Habari; was it the right place for her? The woman smelt like Ghoul, so she could ask her... Perhaps. Later. There was little else to do but remain quiet in the presence of older, more skilled wolves. "she speaks"

Naraca would join the group of gawkers as they watched the elongated creature make its way through the tall grass plains. She came to a stop beside a tall red wolf, and glanced at the wolf in momentary appreciation, before the giraffe inadvertently held her attention again. “I have no idea what that is, but if you guys are hunting it, mind if I join in?” she asked, voice soft as she glanced about the group.

It would be a hell of a story to take home if they managed it, and there was enough meat that even shared out, she wasn’t sure if she could manage to take her full portion home…


"Naráca Mendacium"

While she had recognized the elephant from descriptions, she wasn't as sure she knew what this was. Luckily Ayer, riding on her shoulders with her tail wrapped around Corbie's neck, was from Auster and would probably know what it was. But they had both immediately gotten distracted by all the wolves gathering, so she hadn't spoken with the kinkajou yet. "Igis! Medusa!" she called out, pleased to see familiar faces. "Was an elephant hunt not enough excitement for you two? And who are your friends?" she added, glancing at the two strangers who stood with them. "Are you going to go after this... ah..." "Giraffe," Ayer piped up with from her perch. Corbie nodded. "Giraffe."

Mitros wasn't stalking anyone, he swore he wasn't. But somehow, he'd managed to find another massive creature that was begging to be taken down, and conveniently he could put a name to more then half of the wolves who had gathered to attempt it. With their showing with the elephant, Mitros had confidence that this kill would be just as efficient and skillful as the last had been.

"Hi guys, mind if I join?" He trotted up to the group with his tail held high, proud to be detached from his cousin-guardian and now an official independent yearling. "Oh, hi.. Medusa." With a quick glance around, Mitros searched for the skull-marked weirdo's white knight, noted her absence, and exhaled a relieved breath.

Looking up at the creature around Corbie's neck, he had caught the tail end of their conversation and now had a name to the beast before them. "Giraffe? Sounds cool. Do we think this will even be that hard? With that weird shape to him I'm surprised he can walk upright at all." How did his neck get to such length and thinness, and not flop around all over the place? And what sort of evolutionary process had decided it was a good idea to take a prey animal's weak spot and lengthen it by a hundredfold?

"Speech"

A string of others had joined him soon enough. And he recognized all of them save for two whom he had not met before. The smelly, skeletal marked girl he had come to know as Medusa was the first two join, followed by two stranger she-wolves, and of course, who else but Corbie? Followed by the blue boy he remembered as Mitros. How could he forget him when Medusa's friend had nearly torn him a new one for insulting Medusa? Medusa spoke up about the beast's odd neck, which he had to admit was a rather strange thing to see. He then nodded to the horned woman. They would need all the teeth they could get to bring this creature down, so he would not turn away anyone who wanted to help. "Was an elephant hunt not enough excitement for you two? And who are your friends?" He chuckled a bit at Corbie's words, "There's never enough excitement in my life," He joked before glancing at the two strangers that were there. "Today's new helpers," He replied, "Ignis, Medusa, Corbie, Mitros." He added as he pointed with his muzzle to each one as he said names, just in case pleasantries were in order for them. He turned his attention back to the...giraffe, as he learned. He had been studying it for a little while now, and it appeared to be alone. Though he had no idea if they naturally herd animals or not, he assumed if there were any others around, he would've been able to see them all things considered. "It should be easier to take down as opposed to an elephant. The only thing we may need to be careful about are those hooves...and possibly those things on its head. I figure if we can surround it and get in close, we should be able to avoid those long legs of his." It didn't look as flexible as a horse might be...judging from the way it walked and the way it had to spread its legs when it brought that head towards the ground, should be simple, right? "Whatever you do, stay out of the way when those legs kick back. They look like they could hurt...or worse." He got up, but before he started moving, he quickly assigned everyone their spot. "You two, distract it from the front," He pointed to Medusa and Ara. "You and Corbie can take the sides, possibly even underneath if you get a chance," Shouldn't be hard for Corbie and Edelweiss to reach the belly if they got a shot, right? "Mitros and I will harass it from the back. Remember, either stick close to the legs or take them out if you can. It can't kick or run if it's got us hanging onto it." With that, he left the cover and made his way towards the back of the giraffe. With the two larger wolves keeping tabs on its hind legs, everyone else should be safe enough to wear it down. When he got close, he lunged in and snapped his teeth at the left hind leg, causing the giraffe to kick with the other one, but the wolves were more nimble and it had gone over Ignis' body as he twisted out of the way. "Speech"

Art by Naiterion

A giraffe!? Man! If only Havoc were here to see this! She didn't know if the giraffe had one long bone in its neck, or a bunch of smaller ones, but whatever the case, it must have big bones, right!? How else could its legs and neck be so long?? She was enthralled with the beast and almost didn't realize that a bunch of others other than Corbie and Ignis were there, but when she looked, she recognized the blue boy Mitros. The other two were strangers to her, but she offered a greeting to them regardless before her attention zeroed in on Mitros for a moment. "Heya Mitros! Ready to hunt a giraffe? I bet it's got some nice, big bones!" Maybe she'd use one to whack him with if he was rude again! She listened to Ignis' plan and glanced at the red, horned woman that she would be partnering up with, tail wagging at the idea of getting to harass this thing. Once the plan was all said and everyone started to move, Medusa wasted no time in following. She moved swiftly to her position with her partner, and once there, she bounded in and out barking and nipping at its front legs while the others did their work. The giraffe was startled of course, frustrated, and she could see the whites of its eyes as it tried to figure out how to get out of the situation. But it couldn't, and it sucked to be him! It kicked out with its front legs, but she noticed they couldn't lift high or far enough to be able to reach them effectively, so she took her chance and dove in, teeth grabbing onto a front ankle. "Medusa"

Ignis' salvo gained him a chuckle from Corbie, but she sobered to pay attention to the plan. As Ignis spoke, Ayer climbed down from her shoulder and wandered away to a safe distance. From experience, she knew Corbie would come back for her as soon as the hunt was over, and it was safer and easier for them both if Corbie wasn't trying to hunt with a kinkajou clinging to her neck. Corbie's job here was easy enough, so she set off with the others as they got into their hunting formation and quickly encircled the giraffe. They would need to keep it from running - something that long-legged could probably easily outdistance them. That wasn't her job, though, hers was to try to damage the giraffe from the side, and she was quick to begin. It was harder than she thought since she was so short compared to how tall the giraffe's belly was, but she took a running leap and managed to slice her fangs along the side before dropping down beneath it. Darting out she did it again, and again, hoping that the wounds would slow it down, or to disembowel it. She hated to use such barbaric methods, but there were not more humane ones to use in this case.

I shall do my best. The red-hued man ordered them around, pairing her with a woman Edelweiss didn't know. She gave the black-white wolf a curt but friendly nod. "Edelweiss" she added when Ignis introduced everyone, not knowing her name personally. That would change now since she gave it freely. Following Corbie, she began to hunt. It was as she thought; she'd do the best she could. Corbie rushed and Edelweiss followed. Her jaws snapped at the side of the giraffe, wondering if this would work. The being took off at an alarming speed, but Ignis and the others were already on it. The pale girl tried to keep their prey tethered to the location. It would be hard-won if someone got hurt, but at least it'd be won. She yelped a bit as one leg shot out, retaliating by biting down on the exposed muscle. "she speaks"

Another wolf who joined the hunt after Ara spoke up, identifying the creature as a giraffe. The Elysium wolf wrinkled her nose in confusion at the strange name, and muttered it quietly under her breath to commit it to memory.

As the red marked leader of the group (who Ara had been admiring just before) made some introductions, Ara spoke up. “I’m Naraca, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Especially you, Ignis” she cast him another appreciate glance

“Aye, aye, captain!” she said as the fire-marked hotty gave her instructions. As the other wolf - Medusa - made her way to the front, Ara did the same. Bounding in front of the giant creature. Fearlessly, she made to stab one of its front legs with her horns, careful to be nimble on her feet if it took offence.


"Naráca Mendacium"

Mitros listened intently to the plan, nodding as Ignis warned them against the powerful kick of it's hooves. They sure did look like they could pack a punch, with that much length and strong enough bones to support it's massive weight and height, Mitros assumed any hoof would push through his skull like butter. Roles were then assigned and accepted, and as Ignis explained where his place would be, Mitros merely blinked. The back?? The legs he had been warned of? Glancing around, his nerves began to build. He was the youngest wolf here, literally having aged into a yearling days ago. Was it a compliment that he was placed beside the full grown skilled male, or a punishment for the way he'd eyed Medusa?

Mitros couldn't consider it too long for the hunt began. He could not afford to hesitate, and so he accepted the role and Ignis' wisdom in assigning it. These wolves all had more experience then he did in his short few seasons of life - surely he'd been placed here for a reason. Mirroring Ignis' assault on the rear, the blue boy moved in from the other side.

The giraffe was panicked at the harassment and already blood had filled the air where some of the hunters had found purchase with tooth or knife. Mitros waited for the right moment when the giraffe's foot was solidly upon the ground, watching the way he moved his body and waiting until it had begun to kick out with it's front - if it's front hooves were lashing out, it's back hooves would need to remain to stabilize it. Lunging forward, he enclosed his massive jaws around it's heel above the hoof, crunching them down as hard as he could to slice at the sensitive ligaments and then backpedled, returning to a safe distance from which he could dodge.

"Speech"

Everyone had gotten into position and were making quick work of this strange beast. From the corner of his eye, he could see it swinging its head around at them, but the wolves were too quick and low to the ground for it to reach, especially since it was trying so hard to stay on its feet. Its front legs kicked out one at a time trying to smack the wolves harassing it from the front, while its back legs struggled to get a proper kick on him and Mitros. The times it did manage a kick, he noticed the leg wasn't going as high as it probably could've. Likely a result of trying to fend off attackers from the front and back. When Mitros grabbed one hind leg, Ignis went in for the other. Jaws grabbed and gripped on, the crimson male wrapping his jaws on the oversized limb as best he could. With two large, furry shackles practically holding down its legs, the others were doing quick work in slowing it down and bleeding it out. The two smaller ones especially those that he had assigned to the center. Sure Corbie was smaller than the rest of them, but he was impressed at her tenacity and her athleticism in reaching the giraffe's underbelly.

"Speech"

At some point during the brawl, she had been kicked off the giraffe's front leg and felt the air whoosh over her head as the giraffe's hoof barely missed her. She dropped low to the ground as the leg went over, saving herself from a potentially fatal end without realizing just how lucky she had just been. The horned woman she was working with at the front was doing impressive work with those horns, as were the rest of them. She snarled and barked, doing her best to follow Ignis' instructions. The giraffe wasn't as fast as other animals she had hunted before, so whenever one of those long legs came at her, she managed to dodge them easily enough before diving in for another bite. The claw covers she had made were firmly attached to her own claws, and she decided today was the day she would test them out. Another kick from the giraffe caused her to dodge to the side, the skeletal marked woman falling to the ground rather ungracefully, but she quickly recovered and zeroed in on that knee. She leaped at the giraffe, claws slashing wildly, and took delight when blood was drawn. She could see the giraffe's legs shaking from the effort of it trying to remain upright, but with the wolves attacking it from all sides, it was finding some difficulty in that. "Medusa"

The hunt was going well, all things considered. Edelweiss tried desperately to keep up, her skills not as sharpened as the other wolves. This would change with time surely if she was lucky to participate in more. With Abaven having fallen, Habari was the only pack she knew by name. She knew Ghoul was there and she could leave to the pack whenever she wanted... Except. She didn't feel like a pack wolf still. She felt like a vagabond. She didn't have much experience cooperating with others and felt the urge to learn before taking the plunge. The giraffe was bleeding out profoundly and Edelweiss had some hope it'd go down easily. She aimed a few bites at its long legs, unable to reach higher up. Hopefully that would help! "she speaks"

It was hard not to feel a little like ants, harrowing a giant. Was their attacks doing enough damage to bring it down? Her hunting companions had some nifty claw covers, and was doing a decent amount of damage to the knee. Inspired, Ara raced back in and put her weight in her back paws, briefly resting her forepaws against the giraffe's giant leg before stabbing her head down, and digging in as deeply as she could right above the knee.

come on, come on she thought as she pushed a little bit further. When she felt the leg starting to rise, she struggled to disengage her antlers in time, and rushed to put some space between them.


"Naráca Mendacium"

The wolves at the front were doing well to weaken the oversized creature, and from Mitros' position out behind he could see it's knees beginning to buckle from the damage it had been steadily taking on. No longer could it stabilize itself on it's front end enough to kick out hard with it's rear, and Mitros threw himself forward with Ignis to add further difficulty to it's ability to stand tall. The two men in back each held one limb steady, but the damn thing still had not fallen.

He released his bite from above the hoof and readjusted, launching himself upwards with powerful hind legs to land his next bite higher up on the giraffe. His teeth came down mid-way up the leg, where he could see it was built to bend. Crushing his jaws upon the joint hard as the others did to the front, and he felt the massive creature begin to fall to it's knees. From there, it was up to the wolves on it's flank to find a position to finish it off.

"Speech"

The efforts of the wolves attacking the tall creature's legs finally bore fruit when the giraffe fell heavily to its knees, sagging forward. Its long neck was held low, trying to drive the wolves back so it could stand again. Blood loss and the fight had exhausted it, though it would fight on from the adrenaline and was still dangerous. Most of the wolves there were large, easy targets for the giraffe to swing its head and hit with those odd horns, but Corbie was small, and fast. It would be harder for it to even track her. So without waiting for one of the larger wolves to take the risk Corbie leaped for the lowered throat from behind, catching hold of the sleek-furred flesh for a moment, long enough to slash it open in a spurt of blood, then fell away again. It tried to rise in one last enormous effort, throwing its head up high in a parody of offended anger, and nearly got its long legs under it before it sank back down and went still.