Kai exhaled slowly, watching as a puff of white air rose over his nose and dissipated quickly into the darkness. His pale silver gaze was set firmly in the distance, seemingly unblinking in its steadiness as he studied the group of caribou resting in the far distance, huddled against the crumbling stone wall. The faintest hint of light just barely crept over the horizon, spreading a soft pink palette of colors across the skyline and signalling the arrival of dawn, and cast a long shadow of the wall across the tundra. Soon it would be the perfect time to make his move, when the herd was at a disadvantage after rising from one of their semi-frequent periods of rest. He'd never be cruel enough (let alone foolish enough, for that matter) to try to trim the herd when their defenses were completely down. Something like that would be weak and cowardly, two things that Kai prided himself on not being. Though chaotic to the core, even the wild Jarvela had his principles and rules he was unwilling to bend, especially for himself. Preserving the herd and helping it flourish was as important to him as eating ought to be, he knew that. Such was the way of his family, and he often wondered if he should strive to be more like Mikkal, devoting himself to protecting the very herds that had given the Jarvela clan life. Instead Kai had chosen a more selfish path, just as his father had, but reverence for these caribou was ingrained deeply into his character and he wouldn't deny an opportunity to tend to them properly. Perhaps a proper hunt would make up from where he'd been slacking. He was thoughtful as he watched them, squinting into the shadows to get a better look at them as he adjusted his position, creeping around the shrubbery he'd been crouched behind. Kai had been following this herd for weeks now. Now that the herds were breaking apart for the season and traveling to less forested lands to mingle and prepare themselves for breeding soon, it was increasingly obvious that the winter had taken its toll on the group. After a few days of trailing after them it became obvious which ones wouldn't make it to the next winter. While Kai's constant presence at the rear of the herd was enough to scare off any less forgiving predators, it also gave him time to properly watch the group and assess which one needing culling the most. Killing the young, unless they were gravely injured, was almost unthinkable - they were the future of the herd and protecting them at all costs was important. The younger caribou were far more dangerous and unpredictable targets in general. He'd heard his father tell a story of taking down a badly injured young caribou who'd been surprisingly strong even in its dying moments. But the younger ones had the advantage of their smaller size. Fully grown caribou were no joke, even the ones who could hardly walk - even if you took one down, its dead weight could mean certain injury if you didn't move out of its way fast enough. The oldest and weakest were the obvious target despite their weight, but many of the oldest of this particular herd were the ones that tended to lead the group. They were respected and acknowledged as leaders, and taking down one of them wasn't a decision he could make lightly. Kai had his eye on an older female, one who tended to stay near the back of the herd rather than lead, whose legs he'd seen give out on her more than once when she struggled to stand during a long rest. After a few long nights of deliberation he decided putting her out of her misery was for the best. It'd be a surprise if she made it through summer at all, and she was only slowing down her herd, as far as he could tell. It wasn't an easy decision, nor one he took lightly. Kai knew the herd was aware of his presence by now, so when he finally lifted his head to let loose a low call for any who wanted to join him in a hunt, he knew they wouldn't be startled. Perhaps this was one of the herds Mikkal had looked after; his family protected the caribou as often as they hunted them, and he knew in his homelands they had shared a symbiotic relationship that allowed both creatures to flourish. Kai could only hope someone else might be interested in joining him, deciding the hunt might be rather dangerous solo, though it was a risk he'd decided to take. Spring Year 13 - Hunting Skill Prompt (Group) Words: 782

Cloud had wandered further and further from pack territory, tracking down the herds of Caribou that had returned after the harsh winter season. He wondered at times if the large herd had been the same one he had been tracking on the day he got caught up in an avalanche. It was likely, wasn't it? Except now, that one big migrating herd had at last broken off into many smaller ones as the caribou prepared for the breeding season. He followed the tracks easily enough, catching signs the whole way as they grazed during their march. He had scouted several different herds, but this one, in particular, he had more interest in following. The herd consisted of young and old members, and while anyone else might have immediately considered going after a nice, healthy buck, Cloud had other ideas. He was generally the type to go after the old and weak members of any herd, especially if they were ill or injured. He had done his fair share of cleaning up some of the herds near the pack, and he was always careful about it, too. The black and white male drew closer to the wall, walking within its shadow to avoid scaring off the beasts. Bi-colored gaze was on the ground, however, as he thought about a way he could safely approach them. He had yet to decide on a single target since he hadn't yet gotten the opportunity for a closer look. But perhaps that opportunity would come soon enough... Black-backed ears perked and his head jerked up when he heard a low call that he recognized as a hunting invitation, he picked up the pace and kept himself within the shadow of the wall as he sought out the caller. He didn't immediately recognize the looming giant. And as he approached, he noticed the other male had larger teeth protruding from his mouth...er...Cloud squinted for a moment as he slowed down. Were those...tusks? He was fascinated with the sight, but he didn't want to seem impolite by standing and staring, so he continued his approach until he was a respectful distance from the larger male. "I heard your call, mind if I join you?" He offered a small smile as he looked the male over. And then...the scent. It smelled...vaguely familiar...how though? He had never met him before? But if there was one thing he was good at besides hunting and tracking, it was never forgetting a scent. And if memory served him correctly, he had smelled this male not only during the challenge for Hannibal but also within Ero's borders. Cloud hadn't bothered to investigate after finding the scent, because his brother's scent had been around it too and he figured Ty had handled it. He didn't question the male about it now, however. He was more interested in a potential hunt that interrogating anyone. Word count: 486 "Speak"

art by Risketch

Kai wondered if he'd made the wrong choice in inviting someone to join him on a nighttime hunt. Most wolves would likely feel more comfortable tracking down prey in the daytime, at least with someone unfamiliar to them, so he wasn't sure whether he was wasting his time or not. But after a short wait, he was rewarded by someone's approach, and he swiveled his tusked head to seek the stranger out in the darkness. The moon and its position overhead in the clear night sky provided enough illumination to make him out without much effort, though Kai's eyes narrowed in curiosity as he drew closer. He looked somewhat younger than him, as well as smaller, and a sharp inhale told him his scent was familiar. Tyranis's pack, perhaps? Interesting... He didn't dwell on it for long, his mind shifting gears to the hunt ahead of them.  "Not at all. Name's Kai," he introduced himself lazily, grinning slightly in his direction. If he noticed that Cloud found him familiar, he made no sign of it. His mind was on the hunt ahead, and he found his gaze straying back to the herd that lingered off in the distance.  "I've been eyeing an older female who has trouble keeping up with the rest of the herd. Going for her would be best." By best, he meant right, but he decided he'd deal with that if the other male disagreed with him. And he wasn't sure why he would - it'd make for a doable kill, even if it wasn't super easy.  "I don't mind initiating if you're comfortable pushing the rest of the group away from her,"  Kai suggested, his attention drawing back to Cloud, wondering what he thought before he made a move. Words so far: 1,553

The tusked male called himself Kai, and Cloud stored the name away. He wasn't sure if his brother ever mentioned a Kai before, but he didn't think much of it. In fact, he wasn't even aware of his deep friendship with this male. But none of that mattered now, he was just glad that an invitation to hunt had been extended to him. "Cloudburst, thank you for allowing me to join you," He dipped his head in thanks and approached a little closer, bi-colored gaze following Kai's to the herd. "I've been eyeing an older female who has trouble keeping up with the rest of the herd. Going for her would be best." Cloud searched for said female, and picked her out easily enough. He studied her for a moment, and decided he agreed with Kai's decision. He nodded his head then, "Good choice. I don't mind cutting away the others. She'll have a hard enough time trying to keep up, and I doubt she'd want to get in between two of us." Besides, how fast and far could she possibly get without the protection of the herd? With a final nod to himself, he glanced at the tusked male. "Lead the way." A small grin showed as he prepared himself for the hunt. Cloud didn't wait for very long before moving off to start his work. Quietly and with practiced ease, he approached them while his new companion went after his target. Cloud bided his time for a few moments before starting his own move. With a series of barks and darting in at the group, he managed to get them moving fairly easily. The glow of the moon above them provided just enough light for him to see each body as he got them going, their grunts of protest and rolling eyes was enough to fuel him onward as he and his companion kept between them, and their target. "Speak"

art by Risketch

Kai grunted in simple response to his gratitude. He didn't feel as though he deserved to be thanked - Cloudburst was doing him a favor in accompanying him, as much as Kai was doing him a favor in inviting him. He deserved no gratitude; helping him cull the weakest member of the herd and likewise feed the two of them, if not others, was all the thanks he needed. He glanced sideways at Cloud as he peered at the gathered herd, grinning slightly at his words. Kai nodded, dipping his tusked muzzle in a slightly melodramatic bow before rising to his full height. "Don't mind if I do," he breathed, stretching his limbs and readying himself for the hunt ahead. His attention diverted back to the herd as he began to lope away from Cloud, attention shifting fully to the impending hunt. Once they were separated he knew they'd have to rely on a mixture of eye contact and dumb luck to assist them; hunting was no exact science, and prey as big as these were known to be unpredictable in the face of death, so they'd have to be swift in reacting to the herd's movement. Kai had faith though and wasn't overly worried, and instead he merely felt his heart-rate begin to pick up as excitement began to course through his veins with each measured step. He was cautious at first, trying to judge how to pull her from the rest of the group. It was easy enough to begin to rouse them, with a few barks from a distance - instead of panicking they merely stirred, aware of his presence to begin with, but suddenly agitated by it. He pressed closer, meticulously angling himself away from Cloud, crouching as he crept forward, and then all at once he kicked off with his back leg and sprung forward. The careful movements were enough to pull the weakest away from the rest of the herd, and he watched empathetically as she stumbled away, vaguely confused. It was the perfect moment to strike, and so - hoping Cloud had the rest of the herd running away completely by now and would join him - he lunged for the female's throat, aiming to hook one of his tusks through the soft flesh there while his parted jaws aimed to secure his kill. She wouldn't go down easily, though, and he braced himself for the impact of her pushing back against him or trying to thrash away from him.

The thrill of the hunt was beginning to cloud over him. Granted he wasn't chasing the actual target, but it was still a thrill to him each and everytime. He was fairly close to one other doe, his breath practically hot on her heels. He had the opportunity to snatch a leg out from under her, and he almost did just that. Get her. The voice whispered in his head. His eyes widened a bit, surprised that it decided to come out so suddenly. He had worked hard to supress it, and he thought he had been successful at eradicating it completely. Get her! She's so close! It cried. "No! We already have a target!" He responded, teeth gritting as he tried to regain control. Blood! I. Want. Blood! A guttural growl overtook him, teeth snapping at the heels of the doe... But he refused to land a bite, and instead veered away to rejoin Kai. The smell of blood tinged the air, setting the male on edge. He still fought for control, but he was winning. He would get blood. But only the blood of the chosen target whether he liked it or not. He spotted Kai getting a hold of the old doe's throat, but it seemed she wouldn't go down easy despite her age and old injuries. She thrashed her legs, and Cloud felt that if he didn't act fast enough then she might end up hurting the other male. He kicked into action, quickly gaining ground until he was close enough. Lunging forward, Cloud's jaws gaped open as he aimed to secure a hold on the doe's thrashing hing legs. He would hold her there with one leg firmly grasped between his jaws so she would be unable to move as much while Kai made the kill. ""

At some point, among the chaos of the sudden chase, he heard Cloud growing something in the distance. A command, it sounded like, but Kai couldn't be certain - unaware that it wasn't intended for him - and he wasn't willing to divert from his plan to find out right now. He hardly noticed he veered away, though saw a flash of pale fur near him as he lunged for the female's throat and tried to tighten his grip on her. Beneath him Kai felt her bucking, kicking for dear life as she tried to struggle away from him. Luckily Cloud seemed to grab hold of one of her hind limbs, and her kicking slowed as he grip tightened. Slowly he felt her grow slack as he managed to sink his fangs deeper into her throat, rewarded with the bitter taste of blood dripping down his tongue, and finally he felt her legs give out from beneath her. As swiftly as he could, he leapt aside - lest he be crushed by her - and hoped Cloud had the foresight to do the same. Luckily her herd had already scattered, and though he didn't know how deeply they would mourn for their loss he was grateful they hadn't witnessed it. Breathing hard, Kai pulled back and struggled to catch his breath, watching as the life drained from the beautiful caribou before him. After a moment of silence, he tipped his head to Cloud, lapping blood from his lips. "Good job," he spoke conversationally, the corners of his lips twisting in a slight smile. "She should feed us both well, and whoever else might be hungry and listening. Unless you have a group of your own nearby who might enjoy a feast?" Kai quirked a curious brow, wondering now about his vaguely familiar scent.

Slowly, her thrashing would cease as the life ebbed from her body. He kept a firm grasp on her hind leg, though not tight enough to break it. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain, that wasn't how he did things. When the voice took over, though...well...he wasn't sure what happened during those times. He blacked out every time...but he hoped that he didn't cause any unnecessary pain to his prey...or anyone else for that matter. When she started to go slack and her body starting to drop, Cloud released his grip and jumped back. Chest heaved as he panted. It had been a while since he hunted with someone else, and he was glad he had come out here. He waited a few moments to catch his breath and shook his ruffled coat. Tongue swiped across his muzzle to remove the blood and debris. "Good job," Bi-colored gaze sought out the larger, tusked male as a small smile tugged at his lips. Cloud mirrored that as he nodded, "You too," "She should feed us both well, and whoever else might be hungry and listening. Unless you have a group of your own nearby who might enjoy a feast?" His look grew thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "My pack is kinda far, although...I think I might take some back for my brother Ty," His brother deserved it, after all. "Speak"

art by Risketch

Kai was happy. The thrill of the hunt continued to course through him, though it slowed as he struggled to catch his breath. His heartbeat still pounded loudly between his ears, but it too was slowly, despite the euphoria that clouded his vision. The high was hard to beat, and he found a wide grin tugging at his lips as he steadied himself and assessed their kill, nodding in acknowledgement to Cloudburst's words. Before Cloud answered him, he crouched down and began to eat himself, tearing a long strip of flesh from the neck - where he'd dealt the killing blow - sighing contentedly at the blood that filled his mouth. He paused mid-chew to jerk his head back towards the other male, eyes widening with interest. "Ty as in, Tyranis?" How... curious. Amusement flickered in his eyes, his smile growing visibly more devious. He swallowed the bite he'd started working at, lapping blood from his lips. "Send Ty my regards, if you would," he offered with a slight quirk of his brow. "He knows me by name." Quite well, as a matter of fact, he thought to himself, though decided against pushing the subject.. though he wondered what kind of coincidence it was that he'd stumbled into Ty's brother tonight.

Kai seemed surprised when he mentioned Ty's name, causing him to tilt his head a little. "Ty as in, Tyranis?" Cloud nodded slowly, a bit of confusion in his gaze. He was asked to send his regards to Ty, that he knew him by name. He tried to figure out if this Male had ever been mentioned, and couldn't think of a time when he was. But...when he thought back on it, the scent...he remembered Kai's scent in Erovrare one night along with his brothers. At the time, however, he thought his brother had found him and chased him off. Now he doubted that that happened. "Tyranis is my brother, are you two friends?" He settled down by the kill and carefully began to cut out a good piece of the haunch before setting it aside. He would take this back to Ty and let him know who had helped him bring it down. Then he took a bite and started to eat a bit while he waited for an answer. He supposed it wasn't unusual that Ty knew many others. Unusual perhaps that for once, it wasn't someone that wanted to tear out his brothers throat. "Speak"

art by mochiimomo

If Kai recognized the confusion that filled Cloud's stare, he made no sign of it. Let him wonder, he thought, tried to contain a wicked little grin that threatened to overtake his features. He was far more interested in the meal that lay at his paws, and he continued to eat - realizing now just how hungry he truly was. He was far from starving but he ate with a voracity that couldn't be denied. He hesitated in answering Cloudburst's question, though after a long moment he paused, gulping down the bit of meat he'd been gnawing on and lapping the blood from his lips as best as he could manage. "Friends isn't a strong enough word," he admitted with a shrug, but that sly grin threatened to reappear almost as quickly as he started to speak.  "I'd say we're... more than friends." But labels had never suited him and he had little interesting in conjuring up a word that fit. Calling Ty his boyfriend sounded foolish, at least in his mind. Perhaps lover was a more appropriate word, though even then he wasn't sure. Kai merely shrugged, not caring too much how he defined it. "Though you ought to ask Ty what I am to him. I'd be interested to hear what he has to say," Kai admitted with a booming laugh, truly amused at the thought. They'd never discussed such thing and he couldn't help but wonder how he'd verbalize it, if forced to.

He waited for Kai's answer to his question, so in that time he continued to eat. Finally, when Kai answer him, Cloud's head lifted again and he let a blank expression take over. "Friends isn't a strong enough word," Uh...what? What did he mean by that? Cloud was an oblivious being, that had always been obvious when it came to most things other than hunting. There were times when his gut instinct told him something was going on, but this..."I'd say we're... more than friends." Yeah, that...was completely going over his head. What was more than friends? Was Kai related in some way? Was he another one of Elias' misplaced kids? It didn't quite make sense to him, and he wasn't exactly sure what "more than friends" meant...we're they best friends? Did they call each other brother differently than the way Cloud did? "I see," No he didn't really see because he wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he wasn't going to admit that. "Though you ought to ask Ty what I am to him. I'd be interested to hear what he has to say," He nodded as he sat up, "I think I will...Kai." He said his name so he would be sure to remember it later. He was interested to know, too. If Kai was somehow part of Tyranis' life in some way...or related..or...well, he wasn't sure. He was confused as fuck about it, but he made a mental note to at least try to remember to question Ty about it. "Speak"

art by mochiimomo