After Wilder had eaten and rested, Haydée returned to fetch the young man and lead him out to where some impalas are said to be grazing. It is easy for her to slip through the shadows of the lands, her small form practically built to go unnoticed. As she enters the grapevine covered place, she comes to a stop and turns to look at her hunting companion.

With a smile, she states, “Bay says that there is a group of impalas that like to graze here. I want you to track them and find the best one to take down. Tell me what you want me to do. I might not be a hunter by trade, but I do know how to run.” A gentle chuckle bubbles out as she turns over this hunt to Wilder, carefully watching and assessing him as they go.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Deep down, Wilder is thankful for Haydee's generosity. His belly is full and after a good rest, he is ready to get going. Not wanting to overstay his welcome, he is surprised when she earnestly offers to hunt with him in nearby lands. Right, his side of the deal! Not wanting to end his interaction with her on a sour note, Wilder follows her out to the grove of grapes nearby. Having to duck considerably under the vines as they enter the arching cathedral of grapes, he looks down at the small alpha with a raised brow.

Impalas? Something he hadn't hunted before. Mostly because he was young and alone. Hunting by yourself was difficult with larger prey. After she gives him instructions, he nods silently and turns his attention to their surroundings. With the overwhelming scent of grapes nearly clouding his senses, he takes a few steps forward. Turning to the wind with his nose upward, he can catch the scent of the impalas. An unusual tinge of something deer-like, but not quite. Nodding his head in their direction, he takes off at an easy lope toward a clearing not far off.

Coming to a stop at a fork in the path, he hesitates. "I believe they're this way," he mentions before taking off down the left path. It isn't long until he brings Haydee to a cluster of bushes that line another clearing. "These the impalas you speak of?" Wilder asks as he looks to Haydee and then back to the animals. Training his red gaze on the group, he watches them carefully to see which one would be best for them to pick off.

"Speech"

In spite of feeling like her height is a weakness when it comes to being an alpha, being short does have its advantages. For instance, while Wilder has to stop low to enter the cathedral made of grapes, Haydée is able to trot underneath them without having to worry about brushing any of them. Once inside, she gives the younger male his mission and watches as he begins to assess the breeze. Trotting along behind him, the girl allows Wilder to take the lead and steer them in the direction of where the impalas are.

Having lived in Auster all of her life, the scent of impalas is something Hay can pick out easily among the other aromas in the area and so, she is able to track if they are going the correct way. Wilder leads the pair to a clearing where the pair hide in the bushes and he asks if these are the animals she was speaking off. Looking up to the younger male, she softly replies, “Yep! Now, which one should we take and how do you want to do this?”

While not a hunter by trade, the Leader has to wear many hats in her pack so she knows a few things about what to do while taking down a prey animal. Whatever he wishes, Haydée cam and will do. Together, they will bring back a prize for Ethne’s stores and maybe, just maybe, Wilder will find he likes the way life in Ethne.


"Haydée Kedieo"

When Haydee comes to stand beside him in the brush, he looks down at her with a look of excitement. Okay, so he had found them, good. Next was... picking out the best one to hunt down. Turning his attention back to the herd of grazing Impalas, he watches them carefully. Feeling a bit uncomfortable practically hunched in the brush, he lowers himself until his belly is resting against the ground and he is more... Haydee size. Stretching out his front legs so he can be ready to take off if need be, he continues to train his attention on the impalas.

They appeared faster than deer. Their lithe statures were nothing to joke about in comparison to the somewhat plump appearance of most deer. And the swirling horns coming from atop their skulls were nothing to joke about either. Since winter hadn't come about just yet, there were still rather young babies as well as old impalas that had yet to perish from whatever winter Auster would bring. There were ample choices, but also threads as well. Mature adults that he had a feeling would be ready and willing to defend their own if they couldn't run away in time.

"What about that female and her two babies? Surely she couldn't save both of them?" Wilder questions before his attention turns to another. "Or it looks like that male is rather old. His gait is kind of funky, but his horns are large compared to others," the obvious stature of the impala and its scars told of its age. If he and Haydee could corner it within the grapevines, they could potentially take it down without any risk of injury.

WILDER

Eyes scan the grazing impalas, noting the ones that Wilder picks out and dipping her head in agreement with the male’s assessment. Emerald eyes turn upward as she softly says, “Depends on how you want to do this. Would you prefer to run down the prey or stand and fight?” Looking to the prey he had pointed out, she lifts a paw to point as she says, “The young ones could easily be separated but they are fast and we would need to chase them down.”

Paw moves to the older one as Hay continues, “The older male looks like he could not run far, which means he would probably take a stand and fight.” With that she, turns her attention back to Wilder as she gently says, “This is your hunt Wilder, I will do whatever you wish. If we run, I can separate one of the young ones for us. If you chose to fight with the older male, I can harass it and keep its attention on me.”

One of the perks of being small was that she can be quick and annoying and, while Haydée does not pack the raw power to take down an animal alone, she has the stamina to run for days. This is Wilder’s hunt and she will defer to him on what he wants to do.


"Haydée Kedieo"

His eyes never leave the impalas that graze before them. An ear turns toward Haydee as she speaks. Rationalizing each of his options, giving him some advice on which way to go. The older male would make for more meat, but it was the bigger challenge of the two options. Running after a baby would make for an easier hunt, but he could have easily done that by himself. Go big or go home, right?

Inhaling a deep breath, he nods before glancing down at Haydee, meeting her emerald gaze. "We'll take the older male. If you can go for his face and keep his horns away, I'll come in from the side and take him down quickly," his words are sure, confident, but not too confident. Wilder knew there was danger to every hunt, no matter what animal it was. With the plan set, he takes off through the brush to align himself with the side of the older male. Watching intently, he waits for Haydee to leap into action before he too follows suit.

Snapping and barking at the other impalas to scare them into taking off, Wilder beelines it for the older male. Sure enough, the impala freezes and decides to fight. Swinging head and sharp antlers diving his way, Wilder jumps back to avoid the attack. Circling around the back as he waits for Haydee to gain the male's attention, Wilder lunges in to jump on the impala's shoulder for a solid takedown.

WILDER

Haydée calmly waits beside Wilder, silently waiting for his instructions on what they will be doing for this hunt. As the male speaks, the young woman dips her head in acknowledgement as she says, “It will be done.” They slink through the underbrush, leaving the grazing impalas none the wiser to their presence as they carefully align themselves for the greatest chance at success. Then comes the moment to run and the smaller Hay is off like a shot, galloping headlong through the long-legged ungulates, as she carefully weaves her wave through the panicking beasts.

Snapping and snarling, the shorter wolf helps to alarm the prey and stir up their natural instinct to flee from predators as she moves. Out of the corner of her eye, Haydée spies Wilder circling around the behind the old impala that freezes amid the chaos that unfolds. Slipping up to its front, the shorter wolf launches herself at its face, snapping at the tender flesh of its cheek as she attempts to grab and hold its attention so that the male has time to take down the beast.

Blood blooms underneath the impala’s eye and it tosses its head to the side and back while striking out at her with its hooves. But Haydée is water, flowing effortless backward out of harm’s way as Wilder appears and jumps on the creature’s shoulder. Quickly, Hay rushes forward, ready to pin the horned head and keep it from hurting the man as he seeks to take its life.


"Haydée Kedieo"