That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

It had some taken some doing but Dómari had finally gotten a fire built. Not only that but he had a nice ring of flat stones going all the way around the fire that would offer a place to dry some of the deer meet from his kill. He'd had the luck to find a six-month old fawn injured. Between him and his companions he'd been able to bring it down and carry it back into Valhallan territory. Now all he needed to do was skin the deer and dry some of the meat.

Dómari moved over to the deer while the foxes tended to the fire. He wrapped his teeth around its neck where he'd made the killing blow and slowly and methodically began to work his teeth around the neck in a ring and then slowly he started moving down the animals ventral side, looking to make a nice cut all the way down the middle. He moved particularly carefully across the belly. He didn't want to accidentally puncture the intestines and spill all kinds of weirdness into the meat if he didn't have to.

Cai moved slowly, nose on the ground as he tracked slowly the plains, hot on a hare trail. It took him several hours of careful progress before he found the warren hole. He frowned as he gazed into it, then huffed and marked the location in his mind before he trotted away, pondering easier ways to catch bunnies. He spotted Domari eventually and grinned, tail flagging high and waving happily as he approached, head cocking as he studied the skinning his recent hunting partner was working on. “Hi, Domari, need any help?” He glanced over the fire with interest as he added, “Going to smoke the meat?” He was familiar with the process, though he hadn’t actually done it himself, just watched. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Seizing hold of one side of the seam that he had made Dómari started to carefully pull the flesh back from the meat. He paused at several points stick his muzzle back under the hide and work a few sticking points free. It was slow work but he was patient. There was no need to rush just yet with another month or so of fall left. Dómari lifted his head and sneezed for a moment as blood squirted up his nose. He really needed to make a knife like Twig had. He could do that later however, now that he started he was intent to continue.

Dómari had half the animal skinned when Cairo arrived. He smiled at the younger man. "Sure! Naw, I'm not necessarily going to smoke it. I'm drying it on the stones and using the heat from the fire to help keep the air warm and dry. I'm also hoping the smoke will keep some of the bugs off it but…" He shrugged. "Extra protein I guess."

Dómari bent his head and worked a thin strip of meat off the side he had skinned. He then trotted over to a nearby stone and laid the strip out across it. "Feel free to start pulling off some strips of meat for this. I'm not going to do the whole thing. Just a few pieces here and there. "

His tail waved cheerfully as Domari accepted his help, chuckling as he explained his hope that the smoke would help keep the insects away from the kill while they worked. He nodded as Dom suggested an avenue and bent to work, carefully slicing strips of flesh from the carcass with one canine. Instinct warred with intellect, but he won out over the urge to snag a bite or two. After they’d worked enough, maybe, but for now, this would hopefully build the pack’s stores for winter. Between strips, he said, “There’s a fire in the cave system. It’s open to the pack, as the whole Seat is. If you bring something down on a rainy day and can’t convince a fire to start for smoking or drying, I bet it’d be a lot drier in there.” He grinned as he added, “Aurielle’s lemur and Paladin’s companions are making something that should really help keep the warmth in during winter. They’ve been carving the stone into little hooks or ledges for sapling poles and they said they’re planning on hanging larger hides on them. Should be really interesting to see. Nolan’s mom’s ill, so maybe this will help her stay more comfortable.” He looked around, spotting a flat stone and followed Domari’s example, laying out the strips he’d made before returning to the carcass to make more. “What are you using the hide for?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

He worked through the meet on the belly where there was a little bit more fat content. He was curious to see how these pieces dried, if they even did so, or if the'd become rancid. This whole thing was one big experiment in some ways but the knowledge gained would be well worth it. He trotted over to the remaining rocks and draped the strips of meat over them. The whole area was starting to smell really good.

"Oh? I guess I haven't done enough exploring. Thanks for letting me know!" He frowned a bit though at the news that Nolan's mother was ill. "Oh… I didn't know she was ill. Do you know what she has?" He seized the deer and with a mighty pull flipped it over onto the other side so he could finish removing the hide. He worked his teeth underneath the flesh, carefully snipping it free from the meat while he thought about his own mother. He missed her. Finally he had the hide free and he flipped it over so it was skin side down.

"I don't have any specific plans actually, except for maybe tanning it. I have what I need for my den so I was thinking the pack could use the hide. Do you think Nolan's mother could make use of it?"

His tail thumped the ground as Domari took in the news about the fire and thanked him. He took on a pensive expression as he asked what the illness was that Nolan’s mother had. “I don’t know for sure. But she’s elderly, a little younger than Regulus. So.. it can’t be one that has a good chance of recovery, although I really hope she finds a miracle and fights it off…” Of course, he knew from personal experience that sometimes, there was no recovery. No chance to come back from the illness. As Domari worked to remove the rest of the hide from the deer, Cairo grabbed hold here and there to steady the carcass and make the last bit of skinning easier before returning to gather more fresh strips of meat, laying them out on more stones and salivating a little at the smell filling the air. Maybe he could track down those rabbits later. He grinned at Domari’s suggestion of gifting the aging wolf the hide, nodding. “I think she would. Her name’s Baine. Maybe you knew her?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari nodded solemnly. He also hoped the woman would recover but he knew that there was little anyone could do about growing older. With the hide free Dómari started to get to work on tanning. The first thing he needed to do was finish scrapping off the remaining gunk. He seized the shoulder blade of a previous kill that he was using as a scrapper and padded over to the hide. He placed his front paws on the hide to help hold it in place while he bent his head to use the scapula to scrape off the remaining bits. For some areas he simply set the scraper down and used his tongue. He paused for a moment at the name.

"Ah, I see. I didn't know her well but if I'm not mistaken she was a member of the pack when I was first here." It had been ages though and some times his memories got all jumbled up. "How is Regulus doing by the way?"

Cairo finished laying strips of meat out and studied the hide Domari was now scraping, watching closely before carefully leaning to help from the other end. He’d watched the primates work a hide, and often rather envied the creatures for their nimble hands and dexterous fingers. And Kayode said that humans had possessed even more dexterity. It was a wonder that species had vanished with such traits. He nodded as Domari recollected Baine’s origin, adding, “She’s Regulus’ younger sister. Apparently he’s got two more younger sisters out there, too, Laisren’s age.” At Domari’s question, Cairo paused, peeling a bit of flesh from the hide as he thought. “He’s a bit better. Aurielle’s mother was clinging as long as she could, but she never truly recovered from being taken by the slavers when Aurielle was a pup. She died this Spring. I think Regulus has more experience with loss like this. Aurielle… She tries to be strong, but I don’t think she knows how to grieve.” He paused again, wondering whether he’d given away too much, but in the long run, Valhalla was family. What happened to one of them happened to all of them, or it should. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari looked up at Cairo and smiled as the other man moved to help. It felt good, the two of the working to make sure there was plenty of food and supplies for the pack. He was really glad he decided to pick up hunting. It filled his heart with pride to be able to provide for his pack, though… it was a shame he wasn't able to provide for his children. Well, probable children. He didn't know for sure that his one night stand with the Abraxas woman had produced offspring but something in his gut told him it had, and he didn't know what to do about. He felt the shame starting to well up in him and he quickly turned to the deer's head to start working on the skull. His teeth worked through as he listened to Cairo, his fangs crunching through the skull, bit by bit and piece by piece til he revealed its brain.

He stared at the brain as Cairo's words sinked in. He hadn't heard that Aurielle's mother had passed. "That's awful, I wish I knew how to help but I can't say I've much experience with grieving either. I assume there was a funeral?"

Cai looked up from a strip of flesh he was tugging from the hide in mild surprise. “I thought it was common knowledge she… ah, but you came back after Solveiga passed.” It had been a quiet burial. Funerals were supposed to be a pack-wide event, but both Regulus and Aurielle had been too heart-sore to truly face announcing the death openly. So it had passed by word of mouth. He’d attended the burial. “It was a quiet funeral. She hasn’t really even held a pack meeting to discuss it. I mean, when mum passed, it was just myself and my siblings that buried her, but the pack puts flowers on her grave… I just sort of wish we’d laid her by her grandfather. Where she is now, she’s all alone.” But Artur had chosen the spot in Druid’s Moor. He shook his head before carefully scraping away more flesh and membrane from the hide, pressing a paw down on the hide as he pulled, then flicked his head to throw the strip off his teeth. He eyed the skull Domari had cracked open with some interest, watching to see what the older man did next. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari flipped the brain out onto the hide, pausing as he stared at it for a moment and he sighed before slamming one of his paws down into it. "Yea… I've really missed a lot haven't I?" He started working his paws in a loose circular motion, scrubbing more here and there as he started in the center and worked his way outwards. If he ran out of brains by the time he got to the edges the edges could be trimmed but if he ran out by the time he got to the center well… he'd have a poncho. So either way, a win!

Finishing with the hide Dómari sat down and looked to Cairo for a moment. "Ah… I'm sorry, about your mom." So many wolves losing their mothers. He didn't like it. It made him heartsick for his own even though she'd probably smack him upside the head. "Well, I think we're good here. Thanks for your help!"