Tarnish skirted around the pack lands toward the knolls. With the coming of summer came new hunting opportunities. Being young it was it first time observing the various prey that summer would offer. Worc had seen a large herd of buffalo and a number of the cows had young calves with them. According to the crow the cows often had calves in late spring, sometimes early summer. This sounded like an opportunity to him! Were the odds great of him taking a calf down? Not really. He knew that, but he was a raider and he was going to try regardless of the risks. Tarnish slunk through the tall grass, around the border of Avalon. He'd only recently learned the name of the pack but he had no interest in crossing the border or pestering them. He didn't care for the taste of sheep and he was far more interested in hunting wild game. He wanted to become a great and mighty hunter and domestic prey simply would not do. A buffalo though? Perfect, a great challenge. If he could succeed and bring back part of the calf he was certain to impress his parents and maaaybe his siblings. Ok, so they would probably pretend it was nothing special but they'd secretly be impressed he just knew it!

A gentle caw caught his attention and Worc slowly flew down before landing next to him. Up ahead there was a large herd of bison, a number of the cows had calves, but which one? His eyes scanned the herd til Worc hopped up closer and whispered in his ear. His companion directed him to a mother and calf pair near a clump of sage brush. The cow seemed out of it, slow in her movements, possibly sick or possibly dealing with a side effect of the birth. The calf was young, still bearing its ruddy colored coat, far to young to out pace a wolf. He knew the mothering instinct of the bison was strong, however, even if they were weak. This was a risky prospect. The question now was how to succeed without getting gored.

WC: 355/1500


Raider Brats

The majority of Jay's life had been spent within Avalon thus far, and so she didn't really have many friends outside of her family and packmates, not really. That wasn't to say she had any complaints about that - but admittedly when she did come across the scent of someone else that she knew, she was inclined to follow it. That's what friends did, right? Check up on each other? She didn't even stop to consider if Tarnish viewed her as a friend or not. She knew that she viewed him as one and that was all that really mattered.

The yearling crested the top of one of the higher knolls that stood here overlooking the rest. Summer was fully upon them now and the world was full of life and color, something Jay was enamored with. She was pretty sure she'd never seen such a lovely shade of green before as she did now, looking over the rolling hills that spread out as far as she could see. The smell of prey was plentiful, and with it mingled the smell of other animals, of birds and wolves and flowers and herbs. There was so much in this world to see, to explore, to experience, and Jay found herself grateful for it all.

She spotted the crow circling before she found Tarnish, and she slowly descended the hill she'd climbed, heading in his direction. The smell of bison grew stronger as she approached and she found herself wondering if that was what he was after today.

"Hey!" Jay called out once she got closer, grinning his way. She tried keeping her voice down, not wanting to startle him or interrupt whatever he was doing. "We meet again," she teased him lighty. "You out here hunting?" Sniffing at the air, she grabbed hold of the scent and gestured vaguely in its direction.

Words: 310
Total words: 665

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Despite his age Tarnish was already displaying the patience of an adult, at least when it came to hunting. He hid and observed, trying to work out a plan of attack before risking giving himself away. He'd need to coordinate with both his companions in order to pull this off and even then it was going to be risky if not impossible. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Even if it was a total fail if he came out of it with minimal injuries it would still be a successful learning experience. The wind was blowing gently, bringing the bison's scent right to him and his scent away. Perfect conditions. If they approached carefully they'd be able to get pretty close before they were noticed. Of course part of the plan was to be noticed. Someone needed to distract the mother bison.

A gentle caw from Worc caught his attention and he turned to see the earthen girl he'd hunted pronghorn with. He perked up at the sight of her. With her help they actually stood a chance. "Hey, good to see you again. Yea, there's a herd of bison over there, including some calves. One of the mother's is sickly and I think if one of us can distract the mother long enough the other might be able to take out the calf. We could split 50/50 if you want to help?"

Of course his companions would also be helping out. Worc was made for distracting and Eyra might be able to help with taking the calf down. Truth be told though, he'd only ever hunted small game with Eyra. This was well outside the jaguarundi's experience. But that's what they were here for, experience. His mother was sick, Ignis was busy, if he wanted to learn his trade of becoming a hunter then he was going to have to learn the old fashioned way.


Raider Brats

WC: 317
Total: 982

Jay Destruction definitely wasn't quite as patient as Tarnish, but she was learning. She wanted to grow into a proficient - no, a talented hunter, and she knew she'd have to work on reigning in her eagerness if she intended to get better. She kept that in mind as she headed Tarnish's way, noting that the scent of prey animal was wafting right towards them. A tempting thing indeed, even with the possible injuries that could be earned from such a hunt...

It wasn't like a challenge had ever deterred her from anything. This wouldn't be any different.

"Glad to see you again too," she responded, grinning broadly as Tarnish began to speak. "That sounds good to me. Think it's doable?" It seemed he was on the fence about it being possible too but the least they could do was try. As long as they avoided their hooves in the middle of trying to distract the mother, they'd be just fine.

"Where do you want me? I could distract the mother if you want. I'm pretty fast," she reminded him, trying to think of their strengths. He was larger, and no doubt stronger than her... maybe he could withstand the mom bull's fury better than she could but he could likely take the calf down easier too. As long as she was fast, maybe she could make something work. Waiting for his instruction they set off toward the herd, crouching down as they got closer to avoid being sensed right away.

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Jay asked Tarnish if he thought this was doable and he paused for a moment before shrugging. "Only one way to find out, right?" He grinned. He loved a challenge and was always looking for ways to push his skills. While it had gotten him into trouble in a few instances that had never been enough to deter him. Tarnish looked out at the buffalo and pondered what would be the best way to go about doing this. Jay mentioned that she could distract the mother. He nodded. "Yea, I think that's a good idea, I bet you're faster than me for sure." Jay was smaller and built more slimly, not to mention she probably had the better camouflage. Tar's pelt was great for evening hunting but a big black patch was bound to attract some notice if he wasn't very careful.

"I'll creep forward then burst out of the grass and panic the heard. If you can keep the mother away from me I think I can get the calf." With the plan in place he started forward, slinking down into the grasses and moving at a slow and steady pace. He wanted to be sure to get close enough that he wouldn't tire himself out or give the cow and calf to early of a head start. However, he didn't want to get to close before surprising the group in case it increased his likelyhood of getting trampled or gored. It took a moment but once he felt he was in the right spot he shot forward out of the grass, snarling loudly.

The sudden emergence of a predator caused the herd to start panicking. They scattered in a loud stampeded and Tarnish zeroed in on the cow and calf. At first the cow ran along with the herd, the calf keeping up behind but as Tarnish neared his teeth snagged the calf's hind leg. It bleated out as he pulled it back and immediately the cow twisted around, horns aiming right for him.


Raider Brats

WC: 336
Total: 1568

Jay nodded along eagerly, quickly falling into position as they set off toward the herd. Tarnish agreed she'd be best trying to distract the mother while he took down the calf. Every hunt was different though, of course, so she'd keep in mind that their plan might have to change on a whim. The yearling loved that aspect of hunting, that things could change at any given moment and that she'd have to be reactive and creative in response to things veering off course. That only added to the challenge of every hunt, in a rewarding sort of way.

As Tarnish lunged forward, the herd immediately spooked and began to scatter. Jay directed herself toward the herd as well, shooting forward quickly toward the mother. Some of the herd begin to scatter in different directions, but the calf seemed inclined to stay with the majority, the mother not far off. Her focus was on protecting her calf, just as they had expected. Jay stayed close on her heels, snapping periodically at her when she could. It was enough to temporarily distract her, hopefully allowing Tarnish time to focus on talking down the calf.

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