Scrambling along the mountain path, Chaos cursed loudly and fluently at the mountain sheep climbing nimbly below him. He had almost had it! A gash in her rear leg and a slight hesitation as she leaped showed where he had caught the ewe from an ambush, but she'd kicked the shit out of jaw and he'd let go by reflex, letting her scramble to the relative safety of the pathless mountainside below him. Heecha and Sgili dove at the ewe's head to keep her from getting away completely, but they had to continuously peel off to keep from hitting the mountainside as they harried her.

A growl of frustration issued from between now-clenched teeth. Well, if he wanted to get a meal out of this apparently he'd need to call for help after all. Well, that's what having a pack was for, wasn't it. Keeping his gaze on the sheep he howled for the pack, inviting (rather pricklishly) anyone who wanted a meal to give him a hand with the rather uncooperative entree.

OOC Warning;; Coarse Language Ahead He heard the alpha and charged from his den on the mountain immediately. Was he nimble? No. Was he fast? No. Was he even particularly strong? No. But he was going to fit in with this pack god damn it and the Boss had practically chased his prey straight to him. He bolted down the cliff, trying to keep his long-legged stride while simultaneously trying to navigate the rough and uneven path down the Maw. Somehow his too-large paws had managed so far not to trip over themselves as he navigated down the mountain. He spotted the ewe further down the bluff and tempted his fate by jumping down lower. It wasn’t until he had gotten neck and neck with the sheep that he realized; he had no fucking clue how to catch it. He had never hunted a day in his life and was accomplishing nothing but scaring the damn thing by hanging in its peripheral. He sucked in a deep breath and raised his head, urging himself to run faster and pull ahead of the sheep until he could safely jump in its path and hopefully scare it enough for Chaos, who actually knew what the fuck he was doing, to catch it. This is him talking

Artemis was picking her way carefully among the jagged rocks, a pair of snowshoe hare dangling from her jaws. They had not yet grown their pure winter coats, and had been a bit difficult to find among the rocks, and three more had escaped her than she had caught. Oh well, it would be enough a bit of a meal for whoever wanted them. She had her sights trained on another yet when Chaos' howl rang out, much closer than she might have guessed. In fact, it was close enough to spook her quarry. She let out a frustrated sigh, but it sounded like the Boss had found something interesting, and she was more than willing to divert her planned activities for the day if it meant lending a bit of aid. She cast one last glance over her shoulder to make sure the two hare she had caught so far were safely stowed out of sight from any other scavengers. Satisfied, she turned and made her way towards Chaos as quickly as she could. It was obvious enough to see what he'd gotten himself into. One wounded sheep was pinned to the mountainside, under the constant harassment of the bossman's birds. Ruthgar was running alongside the damned thing, but he didn't seem intent on making a lunge for it any time soon, and Artemis got the distinct idea that he wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. He pulled ahead of the ewe, and with a scatter of scree she balked, trying to turn back the way she'd come and escape the male. Far more nimble on her tiny hooves than Ruthgar, Artemis was fairly certain she'd succeed. The nebulous fae trotted up closer to Chaos, perhaps twenty feet further down the slope than he. "Getting our exercise in for the day, are we?" She watched Ruthgar with interest, a spark of strange humor in her eyes. She settled in behind a boulder just large enough to conceal her vibrant form from the ewe's keen eyes. "I think I'll hop in, if you don't mind. Not that Ruthy here doesn't have it all under control," she murmured sardonically under her breath. "He's turned it at least. We could ambush her if she comes close enough, or at least take over for him if not." Her suggestion was quiet, and quick. She would seek his approval before acting of course, not wanting to move rashly if Chaos had other plans. The sheep was weakened, and she wondered which of them had done it. Based on the frustration evident in every quivering hair on Chaos' body, she had a good guess. "Talk" "You" Think

Dead Love Couldn't Go No Further, Proud Of And Disgusted By Her...

Valdís was sore and in an ill mood when she woke up in her den. After a run in with that wackadoodle Pyralis and being chased halfway across the country by a dammed bear she'd had about as much adventure as she cared to have for the summer! Oh wait…. it was the first day of autumn now wasn't it? Valdís groaned loudly. When she heard Chaos' howl she groaned even more loudly but if she had to admit it she was terribly hungry.

Swiftly Valdís was out of her den and moving, fueled by the hunger gnawing at her belly and giving mobility to limbs that would otherwise have protested quite loudly. Scrambling higher up she wondered what on earth Chaos was hunting. It had to be mountain goats or mountain sheep. Ack… couldn't be anything simple, could it? She noticed Chaos' companions first, swooping and diving at a ewe that was obviously the target. Nearby she spied her other packmates grouping in for an attack. Oh perfect! She was the last one… as usual.

Too far away to hear what the plan was she just did her best to play herd dog. After all, she was below the ewe. The least she could do was to help Ruthgar chase it back up or cause it to stumble. She opted for the later. With wolves above and below the ewe was sure to starting sprinting along the side and giving them all the run of their lives.

Valdís shifted her positioning, rather than aiming to come straight up at it she took off to the creatures right, leaving Ruthgar to guard to the left as she angled herself in and up at a 45 degree angle. She'd grown up in a canyon. Navigating he rocky terrain wasn't much of a problem and she dove for the ewe, sending it farther up as it twisted away to avoid her jaws. Even at her best the creature was more nimble than her but it was wounded and one slip up was all the ewe needed to make for this hunt to be in the bag. Valdís shifted higher up, eyeing the panting creature with her emerald gaze. She'd pulled back as the ewe had bounded higher up. She was shifting her weight, balancing precariously as she eyed their prey, searching for an opening or signal from the others on to what exactly the plan was. They didn't want to give the ewe to much time to catch her breath.

The owls finally had assistance, Ruthgar running alongside the ewe but otherwise keeping hands-off while Valdis herded it from a ledge further down. "Oh please do!" he huffed in reply to Art's question, for once his attention a little too focused to be caught up in ogling. "Ambush sounds like a better plan, who knows if one of those ledges vanishes up ahead." He didn't even want to think about Valdis' ledge just disappearing out from under her, leaving the yearling to tumble to her doom like that kid Nah. So he didn't think about it. "Bite the damn thing!" he snarled at Ruthgar, who seemed to be playing tag or something. "Hamstring the bitch instead of pussyfooting around!" Fanged muzzle swung to Artemis, who looked a bit speedier than him. "Do you think you can get ahead of her far enough to drop down to that ledge she's on and block her?" He had an inkling of a plan, and the path he and Art were on was much wider and safer than the mountaineous walls Valdis and the sheep were clambering on so she should be able to make it to a sprint safely. "Valdis, drive her towards Art!" On the path above, Chaos kept pace with the ewe, ready for everything to fall into place.

He went ridged at the Alpha’s command, already telling himself that despite his best efforts he had already screwed up irreparably. The ewe came to a halt in front of him with a frightened squeal and turned on the narrow cliff ” Hamstring the bitch-!”  He snapped to attention and lunged forward, catching a mouthful of fleece and blood before earning a sharp kick in the chest. With a surprised yelp he released her almost as soon as he had gotten her and the sheep bounded away, absolutely terrified. The commands shifted to “Valdis”, who he assumed was the yearling below him. He struggled to comprehend just what was going on as the sleet colored wolf chased the deer further up the cliff, until his eye caught Artemis, and everything snapped into place. With a snarl he charged after the ewe flagging its left as she charged up the rocky face of The Maw away from Valdis. Git it tae Art. Git it tae Art. Git it tae Art.” He thought desperately, willing himself to keep pace with the yearling, and somewhere in the far reaches of his mind a voice roared that he could not under any circumstances let the damned ewe get past him without him grabbing it and holding on for dear life This is him talking

Artemis watched as one of the youngsters joined in on the hunt. One of the yearlings, Valdis, had arrived. She cut off yet another route of escape the ewe might have taken. Artemis watched with baited breath as Ruth did his best to give chase, and got a swift kick in the chest for his trouble. She winced, but it could have been worse. The chest would heal, but the eyes and teeth were a bit more fragile. "Ooch" she murmured, gently implying an imitation of his accent. In response to Chaos's question, she went on. "Shouldn't be a problem. We can choke her up. See you in the fray, then," she said, sending him a quick wink before turning and picking her way down the ridge. The next time they spoke it would probably be after dancing with a flurry of sharp hooves on a steep, jagged mountainside. She sent out a wordless petition for luck from whatever might be listening. She skittered along the mountainside, trying to maintain speed and dexterity, along with an awareness of what was going on. Ruthgar was moving the ewe back in their direction, and Valdis was keeping her easiest avenue of escape blocked. If she timed it right, Artemis could keep her from pushing to far towards the mountains eastern slope, but if she appeared too early in the sheep's path she might dart out into the gap between Valdis and herself. Of course, her vibrant coat did not make her task any easier, but the slopes were strewn with rocks of all sizes, ridges and ledges, and on top of it all the ewe was rather occupied at the moment. She was able to find an ambush spot, coming upon it with hardly a moment to spare. A slab of rock had slid down onto the ledge, blocking a bit of it's path from sight. The scattering of stone and hard breathing was the only warning she got before a breath's span later the ewe burst into sight farther along the ledge, Ruthgar and Valdis hot on her heels. Artemis stepped into the path snarling, with fifteen paces or so still between them. With an alarmed bleat the ewe skid, trying desperately to slow herself. With snapping jaws on every other side of her but up, the ewe turned, legs desperately churning to propel her further up the side of the ridge. Artemis tried to see where Chaos waited, if he had moved, if she had misinterpreted his plan, but she could see nothing along with herding the ewe. Luckily, she was able to gain rapidly on the sheep as she charged up the path. Ruthgar had been on her for a while now, but she and Valdis were still relatively fresh. She knew the damned thing would tire soon, and hopefully sooner rather than later. She leaped forward with a sudden burst of strength, forepaws extended and hoping to drag along the sheep's hindquarters. While her claws were mostly ineffective, the drag on it's balance was not. It stumbled a bit under her weight, kicking out. She pitched to the side and rolled off, more or less avoiding the kick. Well, the sheep didn't fall but she were now hot on it's heels. She was too focused on it's fleeing hindquarters to look out for Chaos, too driven by the prospect of making the kill. She was so close. Just a bit farther... "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: sorry for the wait!

Dead Love Couldn't Go No Further, Proud Of And Disgusted By Her...

Chaos shouted at her to drive the ewe toward Artemis and she swiftly shifted her position. A ferocious snarl ripped from her jaws as she lunged, startling the sheep and allowing her to drive it toward the unusually colored femme. She hoped the sheep could not really see in color and Artemis' unusual coat might give the other an edge but she was not certain. Adrenaline raced through her limbs and she didn't dare look down, knowing full well how precarious her situation.

Digging her hindlegs in she kicked off with another snarl, intent on keeping on the pressure as best she could. Artemis sprang into action then and her assault caused the ewe to stumble but not to fall. Valdís prepared another leap, shifting her position directly behind the ewe in an attempt to continue driving it up. She pulled up alongside Artemis, steeling herself, eyeing the terrain and then leaping forward with jaws wide.

Valdís' jaws snagged over the right ankle of the ewe. It jerked forward as her teeth ripped through ligaments but the sudden shift forward threw her off balance and not only did the ewe's leg slip, bloody, from her grasp she lost her footing and started sliding down the rock face. With a startled yelp and mad scrambling she managed to stabilize herself. Panting she gazed up at the others. Ok, so maybe she wasn't exactly hunting material. Taking a few deep breaths she started up once more.

Good, good, good! Everything was starting to pull together exactly as he'd hoped it would. With him keeping pace above them, his three partners converged on the ewe and drove her upward. His breath caught in a throat growl of warning as Valdis slid on the loose stones, but the yearling caught herself before she could go too far, so Chaos shoved the incident to the back of his mind to concentrate on what he was doing. He couldn't afford to spend too much energy worrying about his pack mates' wellbeing; he would just have to trust them to take care of themselves.

Bracing his substantial body for the inevitable impact, Chaos dropped off his ledge... directly onto the ewe who was charging towards him. His chest took the impact of her head, his weight pushing her head down so her muzzle smashed into the loose dirt beneath him, his forelegs locking around her elbows to wrap her in a grip she couldn't easily shake, a grip that kept him pressed too close to her head for her to get any momentum worked up to slam her poll into him and injure him.

Fangs flashed as he gaped his muzzle, slashing at the ewe's back with his fangs as she staggered under his bulk. He didn't waste his concentration shouting orders to the other three, now, trusting them to join the violent tableau as they chose to.

Suddenly the ewe's hindlegs sagged beneath her, though whether it was from something one of the other pack wolves had done or if he'd succeeded in reaching her spine Chaos didn't know. Whatever the cause, she and he were suddenly sliding back down the slope just as Valdis had. Chaos, still locked in step with the mountain sheep, opened his mouth to shout for everyone to get out of the way so they wouldn't get swept off the path, but all that emerged was "Shit!" before he and ewe both tumbled off the side.





A moment later, faintly manic laughter and an exhilarated whoop echoed up. "I'm all right!" Chaos' voice came immediately after. Anyone glancing over the cliff could see him climbing to his feet, a little shakily to be honest and wincing over bruises, but certainly not crushed to death in the valley below thanks to a switchback that had caught both him and the sheep some distance down. Luckily for him - though not for the sheep - he'd landed on top rather than on bottom, or he'd have had more to show for it than bruises.

Both owls, both making faintly distressed and scolding noises, circled down to the freshly dead creature to make their displeasure at his fall known (and to take their share of the kill between bouts of yelling at him). Chaos just grinned at them and tilted his head up to regard the cliff above. "I suggest taking the path! It's probably a lot more comfortable!"

MAY THE ROOF ABOVE NEVER FALL IN “O FOOK!” Ruthgar yowled as Chaos and their quarry slid off the edge of the cliff and plummeted. He bolted to the end, looking down, wild-eyed and felt a weight lift off him as he heard the young leader’s laughter. The man was clearly insane, and yet to the older male, that had been a welcome change from the tightwads and the bleeding hearted fools he had left behind in his old home. “Mental.” He said, unable to help but smile faintly as he watched the shrieking owls dig into the ewe. He chuckled and shook his head to himself before starting down the path to meet their leader. By the time he reached the bottom he had resigned himself to eat last, partially because letting women eat first had been the gentlemanly thing to do in the land he had been born in, and partially because he felt that of the four of them he had done the least. The spot where he had been kicked was already beginning to feel tender and he was tempted to ask if they had a healer, but in the end thought better of it. This is talking MAY WE BELOW NEVER FALL OUT