He padded slowly after the herd of bison, eyes scanning the shaggy brown mass of animals, seeking out any likely hunt targets. Today, he was going to call a pack hunt for the first time. Valhalla’s numbers had grown since the last time they’d taken a bison, and he was quite eager to bring a second down to really kick off spring. Maybe they could find a couple moose as well. He tested the herd a few times, never pressing hard enough to send the animals stampeding, but enough to see who was less likely to stand and fight, and who was healthy enough to turn on himself and the hunters. It took an hour, the sun rising gradually from the nest it had been settled in, casting a clean, warm spring glow over the plains, riming the bison’s shag-necks in gold. Finally, he had a target—a heavy cow who had a visibly broken foreleg. He had no idea what she’d managed to do to break it, but it would be her undoing. She was visibly close to calving, and for a second, he wondered if they should attempt at containing the cow and make a start on a “domesticated” bison herd. He shook his head. It would be better to put this animal down and stock the meat supply and hides. Her death would bring sustenance to the pack, and they could always try that domestication route on a healthier bison cow. Maybe catch a few weanling calves. He crossed over her wake, taking a deep sniff of her trace and memorizing it before he retreated well off, howling for the Hunt Circle. It was his turn to lead a bison hunt. He just hoped his fellow hunters would come. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Aslaug woke up earlier,and there was no reason she could give for such a thing.Maybe her body had enough of rest and was ready to start the day and there she left the warmth of her shared den with her sister.She skilled in a soft manner as she shook off her fur from dirt it may had gathered during the night. With that done she wasnt sure what she could do,how to start.But then a howl from Cairo reached her ears,her tail wagged in an enthusiastic way and without waiting more she launched herlf forward heading to the Plains that were part of Valhalla's ownership. Slowly she made her way up to the male but keeping her out shut she stopped by his side and waited for anything he wanted to speak about what they were doing today. "I am ready!" She proclaimed in a low voice but with no lack of excitement. "Speech"

Red had been reluctant to leave his new little family for any reason, but food was... kind of an important reason. When he wasn't doting on his wife and pups, he was working hard to provide the right sort of food to fill their bellies, and when he wasn't doing that he was covering both his normal sentry and patrol duties as well as helping to cover Aurielle's while she recovered. And in the sliver of time left over, he slept.

He had never been happier.

He was in the middle of one of those rare catnaps when his ears twitched on the sound of Cairo's voice, and he dragged himself into wakefulness to listen. Ah... a pack hunt. Good, good. Aurielle could use a good red-meat meal, the sort that they could only take down working together. And depending on the species they ended up going for, there could be any number of items of use other than the meat - he was hoping for good tough hide to roll up for the pups to teethe on, or soft spring antlers for the same purpose, but he could make use of any species for something.

He stretched and set out for the call. Upon reaching it, he saw Cairo waiting with a yearling girl and, in the distance, bison. His ears pricked with interest. Bison were dangerous game, but they were incredibly useful. He wouldn't get much in the way of material for teething puppies from one, but the horns alone were incredibly useful as storage containers for a variety of things.

He nodded easily at both Cairo and the girl, seating himself to wait, but didn't speak, though his sabretoothed jaws cracked open on a yawn. He was still just waking up, after all.

Nolan was pacing uneasily around the plains, mostly lost in thought. His mother had brought up the possibility of going north to check on Casso and to see Acere the night before, but he wasn't exactly pleased with the idea. It had kept him up a majority of the night and when he awoke early that morning he had quickly given up the idea of going back to sleep. The idea of taking his mother on any sort of long trip again seemed more dangerous to her health than it was worth, but he wasn't sure if he could prevent his headstrong mother from getting her way. He had seen first hand how hard the trip to Valhalla had been on her and now she wanted to go all the way to the north and back? He wasn't convinced.

His buddy's howl pulled his attention and after a beat of consideration he decided that a hunt would be the perfect way to distract himself. He gave himself a quick shake to get rid of any lingering stress in his shoulders before he took off in a quick trot to go meet up with Cairo and see who else had come to join him. He grinned when he got closer, seeing Red there along with Aslaug. He hadn't had a chance to say much to her since she, Daelos, Elba, and Ochre had come to join Valhalla, but he was thrilled to have more cousins here with him. He went over to her and gave her a friendly bump on her shoulder with his nose before giving Red a wide grin. He looked to Cairo then to wait for his best friend's plans for their hunt.

"Speech" Thought

Dómari rested after his patrol, gently stretching out his left hind leg. He'd twisted his ankle a bit driving off a pair of coyotes but the little bit of rest was already making it feel better. Maybe he could find a nice warm place to lay on the Redwater Rocks when the sun sank lower in the sky. His ears perked up at Cairo's call. It was a call for hunting. Well, he couldn't very well turn that down. Dómari got to his feet and stretched for a moment before taking off toward the source of the sound. When he arrived a number of the other hunters were already there. He grinned. This was a great turnout! "Speech"

Aslaug was the first to arrive, and he threw her a grin. He’d have a chance to assess her skill in hunting larger animals today, and see how she handled hunting as a large team. Next was Red, the lucky new father, and Cai’s smile grew into a grin. Next was Nolan, and Cairo flashed a wink at his best buddy before Domari made them a group of five. Five would do perfectly. After all, they’d been four with the last bison hunt. He cast a quick gaze over the plains before deciding that no one else would be coming, though he’d heard Aslaug’s father was hunting oriented. He was tempted to wait it out and see if the man was going to show, but he didn’t want the herd to get too far away. So, turning to the four wolves before him he grinned, noting his own nerves and accepting them in the same thought. This was his first hunt that he was taking charge of, after all. It was natural to be a little nervous. Nerves were good. Cocky over confidence would get someone hurt. Taking a breath, he started, “Okay! So, today, we’re hunting a bison cow. She’s heavy with calf and very close to calving, but her leg’s broken, and I’m pretty sure it’s not a survivable injury. First, though—Red, Domari, this is Aslaug Kvasir, one of our new members. I’m certain Aurielle would have told you about their arrival.” He flashed a grin to the girl, tail beating the air a few times before he turned back to the hunt plan. He kept in mind his memory of the last time, how Domari had directed them, and how Red had stated where he was less a help and more a hinderance. “I think we’ll follow a similar plan as last time, and I’ll leave it to you lot who does what. Two of you to get the herd stampeding, three of us to bring the bison down and dispatch her. The two that scare the herd, stay close enough in case we need extra paws.” He cast a quick glance around at the four faces before him as he asked, “How does that sound? Any questions or suggestions, or do you want to see the playing field first to get an idea?” His trademark bright grin encouraged them. He was always willing to take suggestions, after all; he was still learning. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

She waited patiently with her tail wagging behind here as she sat down trying to hold on her excitement.She had never hunted a bison,and she wondered how it was like.Yes she was told they were dangerous, huge and capable of crushing any wolf that they wanted and that meant this could be a risky hunt.But as she wasnt alone her fear wasnt too prominent she trusted in the most experienced hunter's judgment as much as she trusted her own parents. This was a learning experience and she hoped she could learn a lot. More wolves came along and that made her feel a mixture of emotions. Nervousness, excitement, and joy.Nolan joined them,she heard of him from her parents as he was one of the reasons they came.But yet she didnt knows him too much, but maybe later that could change. After the last wolf arrived, Cairo introduced her, and she felt happy but embarrassed at the same time.She nodded in silence as she was wanting to start. Cairo spoke mentioning if anyone had questions. "How do we start a bison hunt? What do we have to get in mind?" She asked keeping her voice low for not too startle the herd. "Speech"

Red yawned again as he listened to Cairo's briefing - not because he was bored, but because he was still working on waking up. Bison? Excellent. He wouldn't get any soft antlers from them, but there were certainly plenty of other uses for them and the hide scraps from the legs and such would certainly be tough enough for puppy chew toys. Surely someone in the pack could use a nicely tanned buffalo robe to warm their den this winter, especially with so many new wolves who hadn't yet acquired much for their own comfort, and the tender fetal bison would make an excellent meal for young pups still learning to eat meat. He listened intently despite the yawn, and when Cairo opened the floor for volunteers Red spoke up. "I'll be one of the chasers, if you don't mind," he said, giving himself a shake that clattered his bristles to wake himself up. "I'm not particularly fast, but I am better suited to goading than to grabbing."

His gaze shifted to Domari when he come to join him, offering the man a welcoming grin. After that he returned his focus to Cairo as he began to speak. He was excited to hear that they would be hunting another bison. They were a good challenge and with this many hunters he was positive they would do well. Nolan also grinned a bit when Cairo introduced his cousin before going on to explain how he wanted to run their hunt. It seemed straight forward enough and pretty similar to how they had done things last time, just with an extra hunter this time. He let Aslaug ask her question and glanced at Red when he voted to be one of the chasers before he spoke up to put in his preference of task as well. "I'll help take the cow down if that's alright," he offered. He knew he was probably one of the fastest of the group, but he figured Aslaug might be more comfortable being one of the ones to get the herd running since this was probably her first time hunting a bison. He kind of assumed Cairo would want to be on the action side of things as well and Domari was one of the most experienced hunters so it made sense for him to be there as well. Since Red wanted to be a chaser it made his choice pretty easy. Of course he'd do whatever was needed of him, but that's what made sense as he assessed the group they were with. "Talk"

Dómari smiled at Aslaug and dipped his head in greeting as Cairo laid out their target and their plan. He was excited to be hunt with his pack mates and he returned Nolan's grin. A cow with a calf would be an excellent meal and he agreed that the broken leg was likely to doom both creatures. It would be best to put her from her misery and spare the calf its own suffering. "I'll help with the take down. I'm big and heavy and more suited for tasks of brute strength than being light on my feet." "Speech"

Overall, the group was in agreement, and each took the role he’d expected they might. He, Nolan, and Domari would be taking the cow down, and Red would be stampeding the herd. He did give Aslaug a puzzled look. After all, he’d just essentially laid out how they would be hunting the bison. Still, he reiterated easily with a smile as he led the way, moving more slowly so that he could get the explanation out before action was required. “As I said, two of you, in this case Red and I’m assuming you, will get the herd running to leave the target behind, so that no other bison double back and attack us in an attempt to drive us away from calves. They can be a bit crazy that way. I’d like you to go with Red.” He nodded to himself, Nolan, and Domari. “Your cousin Nolan, and Domari, and myself, will bring the cow down, and if we’re having trouble, you and Red can double back once the herd’s well enough away, and help weigh her down until one of us can get the killing blow in. And then we’ll be really busy between all of us, skinning her, butchering her and the calf she’s carrying, and processing the meat. Got it?” He gave her a bright grin, but turned to business as the herd came into sight. He trotted ahead a bit until the hobbling form of the cow they would be hunting caught his eye and he nodded to her, waiting for the others to see her before he said, “Okay! Let’s do this.” He knew Red would keep Aslaug safe and – if he knew the man well, and he was pretty sure he did – probably throw a good lesson in on the run. He waited for them to get the herd running before he bolted forward, ears flat to his skull and legs pumping, tail flagged, flicking to the left to signal which side he’d take. He sought to veer in front of the cow from the left, aiming to bring her to a stop with snaps of his jaws at her face and nose while he waited for Nolan and Dom to get into position. Then he lunged forward and chomped down on her nose as he had in the past. The cow bellowed, and his whole body vibrated with the noise, but he worked to brace his feet, not wanting to get thrown around like a hide in a pup’s teeth. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Aslaug sat in silence as she heard Cairo explain again what he thought about the bison they were going after, how he thought they would be placed each one in different positions. Herself and Red would be the backup,her cousin,Dotmari and Cairo will be doing the heavy kill,the ones to get the killing blow,she was fine with that.She would learn other way so, whatever she could do she was fine with it. The only thing she had yet to learn was how to process the food and skin any prey. Maybe later she could ask or just observe how it was done. And finally, Cairo led the attack, snapping at the cow for then digging his fangs on its snout. She was ready to be given any sign for attacking or helping out, this could be the hunt of her life, her first one with her packmates. "Speak"

Cairo explained the plan to the inexperienced youth, and Red gave her an encouraging smile. Privately he was concerned about a young, inexperienced hunter participating in such a dangerous hunt, and promised himself that he would keep an eye out for her as much as he could. It would be a difficult promise to keep in the chaos of stampeding the buffalo, but that was as it would be. They paused as they came into sight of the herd, until they could all pick out the injured cow. His job was not to concentrate on her. On the contrary, he needed to concentrate on everyone but her. "Come along then, Aslaug," he said easily, moving past the other hunters. "Let us get the rodeo started for our lazy companions." He gave the others a laughing grin over his shoulder as he trotted towards the herd, dropping into a slinking crouch before they could spot him and gesturing for the youth to do the same. "We don't want them to have time to get their thoughts gathered and come together to stand us off," he explained quietly. "So we need to come in on them fast and hard. Bark, snarl, snap at their noses and heels and do not give them a chance to think. Get them panicking and stampeding, and for goodness sake be careful of their hooves and their horns. They are incredibly dangerous beasts and they can kill if they get a direct hit with either. Ok - go!" He popped up out of the grass nearly at the feet of the buffalo, bellowing out a gutteral roar and slashing his wicked fangs at the first buffalo's nose. The bull bawled and jerked away from the sudden appearance and pain, backing into another. Red slammed his way past the startled bull, still snarling and snapping to slash at another's heels. He threw himself beneath a flung hoof at another - and whether it was his appearance or his slashing fangs or the spirits were on his side that day the herd began to move. Slowly at first as a few buffalo slammed into their fellows in their rush to flee, then faster as their panic infected the herd, until they were in a thunderous rush. He could only hope that Cairo and the others had been able to cut out the cow, and that Aslaug did not find herself under the trampling hooves of the herd, because he'd lost track of her entirely in the chaos and the dust of keeping the bison panicked and on the run. Chivvying them like a huge cowdog to keep any stragglers from stopping, he couldn't take his attention off the herd or it would be far more dangerous for the wolves who were to take down the kill.

With everyone prepared and in place, Nolan followed along with the group and waited for his chance to leap into action. Red and Aslaug did a great job of getting the bison running and Cairo did what he did best by getting the cow to stop long enough for him and Domari to get to work. As soon as he saw an opening he darted forward and grabbed the cow's left ankle. He pulled hard on the leg and yanked it in a way that it pulled the limp across to the cow's right side so that he could pull the cow off of its feet without risking accidentally pulling it down on top of him in the process. The heavy animal fell onto its side with a hard thud and he quickly released the leg so that he could reposition himself at the bison's shoulder, pressing his paws into the base of its neck with all of his body weight to help keep it from flailing around too much or trying to get back up. "Talk"