Break A Leg

As much as it tried the sunlight just couldn't break free of the haze that coated the sky thanks to the ash the volcano had spewed forth. It made the light seem weak and distilled. It was disconcerting but there was nothing he could do about it so Éldi just went about his business making sure the band would have enough food to eat this winter. The eruption was likely to have killed off significant numbers of prey as well as driving them out of their normal territories. This was fine for Éldi because from his perspective most of the prey was likely to run west away from the worst of the eruption or at least start heading that way like the wolves had.

He glanced back south. The western coast was saturated with wolves fleeing the eruption and he worried that the concentration of predators would deter prey from settling there or cause them to move and so he trekked north where the concentration wasn't as great. He worked his way along the mountain trails that lead to waterfall peak. It was true that Hjarrandi should be well fed given all the prey and everything that was promised them in exchange for slaves and goods but he wasn't sure if the packs would deliver. These were hard times, what if they didn't keep their word? Would the freedom of one wolf really be so much more important than the well being of an entire pack?

Éldi scented the air but found nothing that indicated prey he was willing to spend energy going after. There were plenty of rabbits and lemmings but they were much quicker than he and more familiar with the terrain. He just couldn't risk expending that kind of energy for so little reward. Even if Hjarrandi was to be well stocked it looked to be a miserable winter and he'd need hides, bones and other items to keep him busy in his den. This need was even greater since he didn't know if they were going to go raiding for sure or not. The volcano had interrupted many plans and with the packs likely holding scarce resources he wasn't sure if a raid would be worth it, at least for items anyway. To ease mid-winter boredom and keep the warriors in shape was still a good enough reason to start a fight in his opinion.

Éldi kept looking for prey, pausing now and then for a quick rest. He came to the river that flowed from the base of the waterfall and examined the water. Despite the ash in the sky the river was running clear so that was definitely a blessing and he bent his head to take a quick drink. As he did so he caught the scent of dall sheep and of blood. Injured prey? He better move quickly. There were plenty of starving predators and he knew it was likely he'd have competition from mountain lions. Hopefully the bears of the north were settled in for hibernation and the rumbling of the earth hadn't shaken them from their slumber.

Tracking would take time but he was determined to bring down some sizeable prey. It would be tricky to get larger prey down the mountain especially if he attracted other predators but it was worth a shot. Besides, he'd spent all spring and summer polishing his fight skills and as far as he was concerned he was a force to be reckoned with. At one point Éldi had lost the scent. It was difficult to track the sheep on the rocky terrain and there was the issue of his nose not being up to snuff. Try as he might he'd accidentally inhaled ash when he fled with the rest of the band and his nose was plugged with mucus and his throat still burned. Thankfully, under the ministrations of Runa he'd gotten his cough mostly under control. It would be difficult to hunt if he coughed and alerted the prey to his presence.

This brought to mind another challenge. His stamina would not be as good as it normally was. He needed oxygen to keep up with prey and the longer it went on the more likely his airways were to get irritated. He needed to make this quick, thankfully the prey in question seemed to be injured. Éldi continued tracking until he finally found his target. A young, male, dall sheep was resting on a ledge. Its legs were bunched underneath it but he could see that one of the legs was twisted at an awkward angle. Had it broken a leg? They were surefooted and swift, but he supposed no animal was above a mistake. Especially not when the weather was dumping sleet and hail at its every whim.

Éldi didn't hesitate, he started slinking along the rocks, his earthen coat blending in beautifully as he stalked the sheep. He was just getting close when the ram was alerted to his presence and bolted. It stumbled awkwardly but still moved swiftly for only having three working legs. Éldi took after it, launching himself from foot hold to foot hold but the chase was over quickly as the poor ram stumbled and lay panting and clearly in pain. Éldi was at the creatures throat in a moment delivering a swift end. That was one part done, now he just needed to get the prey home. Seizing the ram he quickly started working his way back down. He was excited to start crafting with the creatures horns but first he needed to get his catch home.