Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn eyed the deer droppings that lay on a path to and from the Lazuli Falls. It was fresh and she'd seen other signs of deer in the area but so far they remained out of her reach. She'd spent most of her time setting traps for small prey. Mainly fish and rabbits. She was eager to see if she could work a snare for something a bit larger and maybe enjoy the feeling of being full for at least a week. Having extra meat to cure and store would be very useful on long journeys but it was hard to get extra meat when you were literally living from one meal to the next.

Jynn walked deeper into the wooded area surrounding the falls. She noted areas where it seemed the deer bedded down toward the evening as well as the exits in and out of the area and the trails they frequented. Time to get to crafting and maybe luck would be on her side.

Rhian had been scavenging for almost all of her food for a while, occasionally killing her prey, but only small things like rabbits and such, and not enough to be significant, so her hunting skills were somewhat lacking. She did think it was a good skill to learn how to do well, but she didn't want to try to hunt something too big and waste her energy on nothing and maybe even get injured for her trouble. That wouldn't be good, considering she had no idea how to even attempt healing herself and didn't know anyone who she could ask for help. It was just safer to scavenge -- not super reliable, but enough for one not-very-big wolf like her. As if the universe had heard her thinking, she smelled deer droppings. Following the trail, she eventually met with a familiar wolf, the one who'd taught her and two others how to fight better. Rhian smiled at her and moved closer. "Hunting?" she asked. "Speak"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn beckoned Tahmores closer as she pulled a long piece of cording with the intent to set up a snare. It wouldn’t be the easiest thing but she felt it was worth a try. Her ears perked up as she heard someone approach and was surprised to see one of the yearlings from the fight lesson. She smiled and nodded. “Yes, well, in a manner of speaking. I want to set a snare to try and catch a deer. It’ll make for easier hunting even if the animal doesn’t strangle.”

Jynn displayed the cordage, pilfered from a northern cabin. “We’ll make a noose out of this but we’ll need a good stick to fashion as the trigger. Ideally a large hardwood branch with some springiness to it. Want to help?”

Jynn's ears pricked up when Rhian approached, and she smiled. Rhian took that as a good sign. She didn't know if Jynn was a wolf she'd want in her pack yet, but she was nice enough, it seemed, and had been helpful. Pragmatics dictated that Rhian should want to like the long-legged woman, and she did; they weren't friends yet, though. All of that serves to say that Rhian was happy that Jynn seemed not to mind her. Jynn explained that she was hunting, but by making a snare in order to catch a deer. That seemed like a smart idea, so Rhian didn't close up her ears yet, nodding along and actually listening pretty intently. Rare, for her. But Jynn knew what she was talking about, obviously. She even had a rope to use in the construction of the snare already. "A stick, you say?" She nodded, already glancing around the surroundings to see if anything stuck out immediately. "I can get a good one." After a few moments of wandering above, Rhian came upon a six-foot-tall oak sapling. She set a paw against it and pushed to test its flexibility and then, with a little whine of excitement she couldn't hold back, she began to dig at its base in order to pull it up, roots and all, out of the ground to give to Jynn. "Speak"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn fashioned the cordage into a loop, assisted by Tahmores to make the appropriate kind of knot. While Tahmores finished with the noose portion she set out looking for a few more sticks to lay about upright in the brush. The idea was to sculpt the landscape into more of a funnel to encourage the deer to run through and into the snare. "Hmmm… there are a couple ways to do this. We could try placing bait on either side of the snare or we could try running a herd of deer toward it til one gets caught. Do you have a preference, Rhian?" As she spoke Jynn set a few sticks pointed up below where they'd hang the noose, hoping to encourage the deer to lift its head but not so high that the deer might feel the need to jump.

Jynn continued working, but then explained to Rhian two possible ways to build the snare. Either they could leave bait by it to entice a deer through, which seemed like it would be boring and involve a lot of waiting, or they could chase a herd of deer through it, which seemed a lot more fun. "Chasing the deer seems better," she said. "Otherwise we'd just have to wait around." She glanced at Jynn, eager to begin. She'd never done anything like this before, and she was excited to learn. She watched somewhat attentively as Jynn worked more on the snare, but really she was more than ready to just get into the chasing part.   "Speak"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn listened as Rhian offered her opinion, recommending that the duo try chasing the deer toward the trap. Jynn nodded. "Sounds good to me." While she could be patient enough with a trap she also was a restless spirit by nature and attempting to run their prey into the trap was appealing. It would certainly pass the time. "Ok, let's circle to the opposite side of the herd. When each of us is in place we can startle them into running and try to funnel them toward the trap. I'll take the east side if you want to take the west." With that Jynn slipped into the forest, maneuvering carefully through the brush and into place, doing her best not to alert the deer to their presence too early.

Craft Trap: 3/3
Catch Prey: 1/3

Rhian refused to feel gratitude for Jynn agreeing with her. Of course she had; who could argue with Rhian and get away with it? She was far too stubborn to let anybody else, especially someone she didn't really know win anything, no matter how slight -- Jynn was nice, it seemed, but she was still a stranger and had not even begun to earn such a rare luxury. She nodded after Jynn explained what they were to do. They were going to go around opposite sides of the herd and funnel them into the trap. It sounded easy enough. She set off towards the west, mimicking Jynn's stealthy movement. Soft pads against earth. Occasionally she would glance towards the herd, and where Jynn must be hidden on the other side. She wasn't sure quite where they should converge and would wait for her teacher to tell her when, though her heart pounded with desire to charge straight in. "Speak"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn kept careful watch, trying to keep a rough estimate on Rhian's position. When she felt sure the other wolf was in position, she tucked her long legs beneath her, muscles coiling like springs. Jynn burst from the brush with the loud, unique bark of her kind. It was the signal for Rhian to change as well. She wasn't overly worried about the call. After all the goal was to drive the deer into the snares as they fled for safety. The bark and sudden appearance of predators caused the deer to scatter, racing away from her. A few does attempted to slip past her and she leapt to the side to divert them back toward the main run. They bleated and kicked at her as they turned. Jynn snarled, teeth bared as she continued to give chase. She didn't have a particular target in mind. She merely wanted to run a good number through in hopes that at least one would be ensnared.

Craft Trap: 3/3
Catch Prey: 2/3

ooc: ignore me, just cleaning up a very old thread from before a pack was here

It had been awhile since Lukina had run into any of the other swamp wolves. She could only assume they had moved on to other regions and that it was time for her to move on as well. Still, she couldn't help but search, wondering if she might see her old friend Bog again. She still remembered her swamp wolf name, Hoarfrost. It was a secret little name that she held close to her heart.

Moving quietly through the woods she focused on the sounds of the falls ahead of her. That would be a good place to get a drink and maybe a rest. However, ahead of her she heard a strange bark and all at once a deer went racing by, pursued by a duo of wolves. What on earth?

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn kept on the heels of the deer but far enough back to avoid getting kicked. She focused on chasing and herding them until the raced into the heart of the snares, heads seeking to clear the brush and in doing so one stuck it's head right through their trap. The noose tightened and the branch bent sharply as the doe let out a strangled cry. It's hooves were flying as it struggled. Jynn expertly picked a point of attack and leapt up for the doe, fang's seeking in. The front legs kicked at her but at such close range with her body pressed into the doe's chest it could do little to deter her. Between her fangs and the strangling of the rope the doe soon passed and the wolves had their meal.

Craft Trap: 3/3
Catch Prey: 3/3