Winner takes the Cows, Loser meets the dinner table. [Pack Hunt!]
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1051
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
He watched the elk bulls as antlers clattered together and autumn sod flew from cloven hooves. This particular pair had been at it for an hour or two, now, reaching stalemates and letting out their piercing bugles to continue the argument of who was better than whom.
The cows milled and grazed their way along the plains, last year’s calves both watching the action and doing their best to stay out of the way.
Bison herds could be seen in the distance, but Ardyn’s gaze was for the elk bulls, ears perking as one, larger and fitter by a small margin than the other, finally managed to wrangle his opponent around enough to rake his sharp tines over the loser’s haunches, drawing blood and deciding the battle - and the war between those particular two bulls - in his own favor.
The loser fled, limping and licking his metaphorical wounds, and Ardyn waited patiently, watching the winner stride back to the cows and stalk among them, bugling his triumph and assessing his new harem for any receptive cows.
Once the loser was out of sight, the young King slid from the boulder he’d been sprawled across and followed, drifting into the tall golden grass and finding the scent of the target. Lyr, meanwhile, winged off in search of Drachen and Cairo, plus anyone else who might want to join in on the hunt.
Each wolf he found was given a simple rundown of “Ardyn’s hunting a bull elk in the western quadrant of the Plains. The bull’s injured from a fight and heading southward.”
The young king felt the loss of Domari with an ache. The old Xanilov had been a fun hunting partner, hard working and good-natured.
As he slid along the scent trail, he listened for the approach of his huntmates, and quietly made a note to seek out hunting inclined wolves to better fill their numbers. Hunting, healing, fighting, diplomatic and spies… they needed everything.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.