That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari quietly eyed the small herd of caribou. He'd been tracking a larger herd but then they'd started breaking off into smaller groups. It soon became clear they were doing whatever mating rituals it was that caribou did. He was eyeing a younger, wounded male who was bleeding from a gash on his neck. Dómari frowned. The buck was still far too large to risk taking out by himself, even if it was wounded. It was frustrating to get this far north and realize he probably wasn't going to have a shot. Unless one of the bucks actually managed to kill each other the risk was too great. If Dómari broke a bone up here he was never going to get back to Valhalla.

Senka lay stretched out on the ground superman-style. Her chin was resting on the cold rock and her forelegs, which were bent under her, had long since fallen asleep. It was comfortable, honest. Or the next best thing for someone who was too out of sorts to make it better. Having been unable to find a supplier of any sort for several days now, Senka was unwillingly sober. She was weathering the sickness that came with her "condition" quite poorly if she were being honest, but she was trying. It was just hard.

Her head tipped to the side as she caught sight of a stranger watching the same herd of caribou she'd had her eye on for awhile now. She hadn't thought she'd had a chance at one alone so she was mostly just daydreaming, but the male looked interested and that gave her an idea. "Say, stranger, you want one of-" Whoa, too loud. Volume down. "Sorry. One of those bucks - is it bucks? caribo- never mind - I'll help so long as I get my fair share."

It'd been a long while since Kai had truly participated in a hunt, and he was eager to sink his teeth into something. Lately he'd been feeling a bit stir-crazy, despite the fact that he didn't spend all that much time staying in Winterfell's lands anyway, except occasionally. Coming and going was about as good as he could do, and it seemed Acere was content with that. Soon they'd be raiding anyway and hopefully he'd be one step closer to freedom. It was enough to allow himself to get distracted - and enough to find the scent of caribou to trail after. It was a small herd that he was currently following, and he'd caught a whiff of blood while following them, which made him hopeful that finding a good target wouldn't be difficult.

The scent of a couple other wolves caught his attention, and his interest was further piqued. How lucky was he, if they happened to be looking for a hunt as well? He could only hope. As much as Kai wished he could take down a caribou on his own, he knew that thought was too foolish, even for him. The scents became more distinct as he drew closer, belonging to a male and a female - and before long they drew closer, and Kai offered the both of them a faint grin. "You two happen to be after one of those caribou too?" Though he wasn't quite as traditional as he knew some of his family tended to be, he believed caribou were sacred enough that he'd be particular about this hunt; he hoped that they'd be respectful enough too.

Diana hadn't had a proper hunt in a long while, at least nothing that could actually be helpful for her. Some small birds and rabbit spirits had been all she'd managed to collect in the last little bit. She'd managed to track the faint scent of a caribou herd. As it grew stronger she also managed to pick up more wolf scents and she felt a bit territorial but as she walked upon the group and saw them preparing to hunt what they'd found she slid in up beside a familiar grey man. She nudged Kai with her forepaw as she came up beside him and flashed him a cheeky wink. "And I'm hoping I can make four." She said softly, taking a moment to observe their quarry. Speech Thoughts

Art by Klechkodav

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari jumped as he heard a voice call out to him. He whipped his head around to see a young woman who quickly, and more quietly, expressed her interest in the caribou. It took him a moment to process her words as his caught site of her eye color and distinctive markings. Was she a Xanilov? It was hard to be sure without asking and now wasn't the best time to shoot the breeze if they wanted to eat. He was about to reply when a large male close to his own age appeared and then another young woman.

Dómari grinned. A hunting party! Blessings from the spirits he was going to get to try caribou today if everything went according to plan. "Excellent. Yes, I'm more than happy split the meat four ways. Though if I could I want at least half of the hide. The antlers are up for grabs but we can always settle some of the finer points later." They didn't know for sure that the hunt would be successful but with these numbers he was feeling pretty good about it.

"There's a wounded buck with a cut on his neck. I think he'd be an idea target so let's get the caribou running. We have a wide open area to pressure the herd until the weaker ones fall back. Whoever gets to the caribou first needs to drag it down. Bite wherever, pull the creature down then whoever is free needs to get the throat. A lot can change in a hunt so I'm not big on over planning. Let's keep it simple. Sound good?"

OOC: I'd like to throw Mæva in as soon as she's accepted if that's alright!

Mæva couldn't contain herself, the minute they arrived in Boreas to take a rest she napped for maybe ten minutes and then was off exploring. It didn't take her long to catch the sound of hooves in the distance and after catching the scent on the wind she spied the caribou. Oh how she would love to hunt one of them. Would her dad stop to- oh! Oh, there were other wolves!

Mæva zeroed in on the small hunting party and quickly slinked her way over. "Psst, hey, can I join you? I just want a little food? Please? I'll be careful!"

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari was about to get things started when a pup appeared out of nowhere. At first he wondered where her parents were but on closer examination she seemed to be closer to a yearling than a young pup. She was a bit scruffy but didn't seem to be starving but at the look of eagerness in her eyes he just couldn't quite bring himself to say no.

"Ok, you can have some of my portion of the meat but you must be careful. Stay back and help panic the caribou and get them running. I don't want you getting trampled. Ok, let's get this party started."

With that taken care of Dómari worked his way forward and then exploded into action, bounding after the caribou with a snarl, causing them to panic and scatter. It was a whirlwind of movement and difficult to focus in on his intended target. For now they just needed to get them running and sooner or later the injured and the sick would lag behind.

OOC: don't mind me, just drowning in threads! <3

The more she thought about it and the more wolves arrived the less confident Senka felt about the whole thing. She wasn't used to this much...socializing. One she could handle, two was iffy but tolerable, and anything more than that? With a drink she'd be fine. Sober it was a little too daunting. Didn't matter that one was a pup or that they all seemed perfectly reasonable. Senka couldn't handle the pressure. She just couldn't. Her heart was beating loud enough in her ears it muted the softer sounds of the Wash. It was tempting to run but she was going to try to bow out with as much dignity as possible. "You know what? Actually, I just remembered I left a 'bou shank  back in my other den. Yeah, so I'm good guys. Happy hunting!"

-exit-

Kai hadn't expected to see a familiar face today, but he was clearly pleased with the arrival of the fourth wolf. Kai tilted his head toward Diana, offering her a friendly smirk. "Didn't expect to see you all the way up north," Kai commented conversationally, leaning briefly into the touch of her paw before twisting back toward Domari. He seemed willing to split the kill, though hoped for half the hide. If he had any use for it, he might consider his request a selfish one, but Kai didn't give a damn about any hide. "It's all yours," he shrugged, clearly not caring. So long as he got his fill he didn't care what was done with the rest of it. If anything, he was pleased it was getting used by someone.

"Sounds like a good target," Kai agreed readily. His demeanor shifted suddenly as they began to talk about the hunt. This meant far more to him than any small talk; a wounded buck was a good target, especially if his injury was severe enough to hinder his overall well-being. Domari didn't seem like he wanted to plan too much, which he was fine with. Only so much could really be planned ahead of time - prey animals, no matter their size, were unpredictable. Simply reacting to things as they went would be much better anyway.

Another wolf showed up... a child, though she seemed eager and willing. His own kin weren't the type to coddle their young, so he didn't think twice about this young girl trying to take down a caribou. At least she was doing it with others, rather than on her own, which showed she had some sense at least. He chuckled, watching as Senka left. He wouldn't argue, instead shifting his attention back to the caribou. Three full grown adults, one kid... it might be a risky hunt but he wasn't worried. Kai would have no trouble bailing if things went south. Without hesitation he loped after Domari, hoping that the pup did as she'd been instructed in spooking the herd first as the others moved behind, trying to position themselves for the ideal moment to strike as their target fell behind.

Replacing Diana with Natha with Lolaf's permission

Natha's travels brought her back up to the north and the energy she expended during her journey left her hungry. As she started tracking caribou she spied a group of wolves stalking them and she quickly moved to join in as she saw a couple of the wolves leave the group. "Hey, I'll jump in for some food!" Was she hunt crashing? Probably. However, she felt her skills would be an asset to the wolves and she didn't eat nearly as much as the larger predators.

She took off following the oldest male, keeping back so she could sleuth out what the full strategy was. She caught the part about panicking the herd. That she could do! She yowled and sprang toward the nearest caribou sending it springing suddenly forward.

Their numbers shuffled around but there were still 4 hunters. He nodded swiftly to the lynx. There was no time now to argue the point as the herd was running. The stampeded over the ground, flowing along it like water. As they ran divisions began to appear within the herd as weaker animals slipped toward the back. Dómari's eyes picked up the injured male he'd seen earlier and dove straight toward it. Picking up the pace he slipped toward the back of the animal and snapped his fangs violently behind it to hary the animal.

The buck's weight shifted to his front legs as he kicked out at Dómari. The older male was forced to retreat but the gesture bought time for his allies to close in.

Mæva was thrilled to be included in the hunt and she settled down as a few wolves changes around and then they were off. She raced forward barking loudly and snapping her teeth. This was the fun part. She didn't need to focus on a target or getting to close she only needed to get the caribou running and pay attention to the signals of the older man. She suddenly saw him take off and she slowed her pace for a moment as she focused on what he was doing. She saw the injured buck and then took off toward the man. She held back, keeping to the buck's left side to help herd it but not getting so close as to get stepped on.

OOC:  figured since we only need one more post each for Mæva and Kai I'd go ahead and finish this one up!


Stamina had always been one of his strong suits. Dómari kept at the injured target, making sure to keep pace until at last he was able to seize the caribou's left hind leg. He bit down sharply, practically attempting to sit as he tried to throw the beast off balance. He was too focused on his own work to see what the others were doing but suddenly the buck pitched forward. Dómari dropped the leg and bolted forward. They had only minutes to deliver the killing blow before the caribou would be back on its feet.

Seizing his jaws around its throat he held fast, letting his heavy frame drag the creature's neck down into the snow, hampering it from getting back up. In moments it was over and they could begin their meal.

Mæva continued her efforts to help herd the caribou, seeking to keep the injured buck where they wanted him and any other caribou away. Excitement jolted through her as she ran. She couldn't wait to go on large pack hunts with her siblings. The caribou stumbled and went down. Mæva quickly put on her breaks, sending snow flying as she turned herself around and darted back toward the injured animal. She quickly pounced on it's left side, jaws catching hold of the leg that Dómari had been holding moments before he'd leapt forward for the caribou's throat. Only when the caribou stopped struggling and went still did she dare to let go.