Halla slinked along the edges of the prairie as a blanket of silver clouds stretched across the sky. In the distance she could hear the thundering crack of bison colliding their heads together. The sound lured her closer, curious to see if there were any injuries she and her hunting partner could take advantage of though it was a curious sound. It wasn't breeding season as far as she knew. So what was the cause of this dispute. She settled a fair distance away but not so far she couldn't watch what was going on. There was an older bull and a younger one, posturing and snorting before running into each other. This time the young bull went down hard. Some sort of pecking order dispute perhaps? "Talk"

Wyndelin followed along after Halla. The two had run into each other while hunting in the prairie and they'd decided to team up to try and take on larger prey. Of course, Wynde thought this would be prey like deer. When Halla started moving toward a bison herd he felt his stomach drop. They'd have a hard time finding an animal to pick off unless they could find one that was significantly injured or sick. Though, he did hear the sound of a fight, perhaps they would get lucky after all. Wyndelin followed after the woman and settled down in the tall grass next to her. He flinched as the younger bull hit the ground and he glanced at Halla, wondering if this was going to be their target. He still wasn't sure about approaching with the older, more aggressive bull about. If it could toss another thousand pound or more animal into the dirt, a wolf would be no trouble. "Talk"

Whilst it wasn't his job per se Hattori often found himself heading out into the wilds to go hunting, to fill Ashen's pantry. He'd been following a trail for some time, weaving through the prairie as he followed the well worn tracks and heavy scents that flooded his nostrils. From what he'd gathered the bison herd was large, which in and of itself was both a good and bad thing. On one paw it meant he'd have a higher chance to find a young bison, the sort he could probably bring down by himself. But on the other with greater numbers came a stronger sense of security, the bison would be more willing to stand their ground against him given it was one vs many. He continued on, moving at an easy lope as his lips pursed into a pensive frown. Regardless of the odds he felt as though it was a risk worth taking, or at the very least he ought to track and follow the herd in case a chance for a pack hunt arose. It would be a fine opportunity for the wolves of Ashen to earn their keep, to climb down from their Klein pedestals and actually hunt like the rest of their kind.

Hattori had been tracking the herd, wrinkling his nose at the sight and scent of their abundant droppings when he noticed a pair in the distance. He squinted in focus only to be hit by a pang of recognition a moment later. These two again? Either a fair few wolves were out and about, hunting and fighting, or the fates wanted their paths to cross over and over again. Hattori wasn't sure which. Pulling up aside them, Hattori set his gaze on the bison herd once more. He didn't need to speak or offer them greetings, by now they would know his intentions.

Red wasn't often to be found far from home these days, what with children to raise. But the children were getting older and with several showing aptitude for crafting he certainly needed to replenish his long-depleted stock of materials, so he had made his way far afield in his search. He had brought plenty of empty containers for small articles, as well as all his tools for butchering game and firestarters so he could preserve extra meat to bring with him for the pack, all packed neatly on a travois.

He had come within sight of the buffalo herd and paused, interested, but sighed. Bison certainly had a lot going for them in terms of crafting materials, but he couldn't hunt one alone. Even a young one would be difficult to take without someone keeping the mother away. He could follow the herd for a while and see if some misfortune struck one that he could scavenge... but no, that would keep him away from Valhalla - and his family - for far longer than he was willing to be gone.

But when he let his gaze drift regretfully away from the herd, he caught sight of three wolves, who were also watching the herd. If they were there wanting to hunt perhaps he could get involved, and perhaps be able to lay claim to a good portion of meat and material.

Divesting himself of the travois and leaving it safely hidden in the lee of a rock, he made his relatively stealthy way to join the three of them. "Would you accept a fourth into your hunt?" he asked quietly, so as to not alert the bison to their presence.

Halla assessed the younger bison, watching as he rolled back onto his feet. The herd was moving across the prairie now and he was beginning to fall behind, limping as he sought to keep up. Her ears twitched, flicking back at the sound of movement and she turned to see the horned wolf she'd hunted with before. Ah excellent. She nodded in greeting and also in acceptance, assuming he wished to hunt with them again. There was plenty of meat to go around. Halla and Wyndelin hunted for sustenance, seeking to fill their bellies and Halla was interested in at least one of the horns and a few ribs. The horned man was not the only one to spy their little hunting party. A huge male with saber teeth approached, asking to join in. She nodded and replied in a low voice. "Yes, we could use more muscle for this hunt. There's a young bull near the back of the herd. He's injured. I believe we should be able to run him down. Whoever is able should go for the kill shot." Sweet, simple, flexible. That was how she liked her hunts. She looked to Wyndelin and nodded. As the lightest and the fastest she wanted him to get things started before she swiftly followed behind. "Talk"

Wyndelin smiled as he saw the horned man again and was pleased to see the large wolf with the saber fangs. This was the kind of brute strength they needed to take on a bison. Wynde was built more for speed than force so there was only so much he could do to slow down a bison without being dragged across the ground like a furry train. Wyndelin looked to Halla who nodded, indicating it was time to get started. He returned the nod and slunk off into the grasses. He kept low, stalking toward the injured bison. He suddenly burst up out of the grass, leaping toward the bison's left side with a fierce snarl. The bison immediately startled, the young bull running perpendicular to the heard as he sought to get away from the wolf. The other bison also started running, scattering as they went though some protective mothers started circling around their older calves. That was fine, they weren't the target. "Talk"

And then they were four. Hattori was content to follow Halla's orders given that he'd seen her at work before and knew she was a capable individual.  Her suggestion was sound, hunting a calf was tempting but at least with the young bull they wouldn't have to deal with an angry and defensive mother. Wyndelin was quick to kick things off, bursting into a sprint as he narrowed in on the bull. Rolling his shoulders in a last moment stretch, Hattori was hot on his heels following suit. The long grass tickled his ankles as he ran, keeping at a steady but brisk pace as they drove the bull away from the main bulk of the herd. If the bull had experience on his side he would have know to stand his ground, sick or not he could have easily held them at bay but there he was running as though his tail was on fire. Or attempting to at least. The bull had a wound on his hind leg, dirty and infected and if left untreated the beast would have surely met and slow and painful death. This was a mercy killing, really.

They accepted him into their hunting geoup without a qualm, and Red settled in to pay close attention as the woman pointed out their target and a loose strategy. He nodded his understanding quietly, and crept through the grass as the others did to move closer. They were fairly close, which was good because compared to the lithe hunt-leader he tended more towards a lumber than a sprint, before the smaller male burst out of the grass, Red and the others doing the same. Their sudden appearance practically under their hooves startled the herd into running before they could think to stand their ground. The young bull was being kept from joining the herd as they raced alongside it. Red was slower to accelerate, but as the chase went on he grimly ate up the distance until he was beside the bison, then aimed slashing bites for his ankle, hoping to cause a stumble if nothing else, and attracting the beast's attention from what the other wolves were up to. If they were able to slow it down further...

Halla stalked after Wyndelin, keeping to the taller grasses. While her mottled coat was useful in autumn and winter hunting she wasn't sure if she'd stand out to the bison and she didn't want to spook them prematurely. Wyndelin soon charged and Halla followed suit, her lithe form eating up the distance between herself and the young bull. She pulled up along it's left side, seeking to keep it from joining with the herd. Her fangs snapped at the back of it's left front leg. The bison bellowed, his head whipping to the side. Halla quickly put distance between herself and the bison to avoid its horns. The act had caused the bison to slow and stumble and she quickly dove in again, seizing the creatures left armpit while trying to be mindful of how it might fall should it stumble again. "Talk"

Wyndelin kept the pressure on, snapping at the bison as he ran. Soon he was joined by the others and when the bison stumbled he latched hard onto it's left hind leg, digging his feet into the ground. The bison stumbled once more, crashing face first into the dirt. The sudden shift of weight forward pulled Wyndelin right off his feet as he crashed into the bison's left buttock. He quickly regained his feet and started biting where he could, seeking to keep to the inside of the bison's left leg so he was harder to kick. He hoped to use his weight to help prevent the animal from getting back onto all four feet. Granted, he wasn't big but every little bit helped to move fate in favor of the hunting wolves. "Talk"

The bison landed with an almighty crash, so strong the earth shuddered beneath Hattori's paws. As soon as it landed, well before the dust began to settle, Hattori darted on in and went for it's snout and clamped down hard. Doubtless he wouldn't be able to kill it on his own, not quickly anyway, but he knew that the others could take a hint. That they'd follow suit and hold on where they could till it was dead. If somehow the bison managed to get back onto his hooves this was over, or at the very least it would draw out this conflict for far longer than it needed to be. His talons gripped it's face, attempting to hold it down with his weight as he held on, blood spilling over his teeth as he blocked it's airways.

Red hit the brakes quickly as the bull stumbled and fell, so that he didn't get crushed. There it was - the impirtant moment. Once down it was far less likely that the prey could get back up and escape with a hunting party tearing at it every second it was down and struggling its way back up, and this party had not wasted any time before piling in. Red, too, wasted no time. Using the momentum he had barely checked he leaped forward over Wyndelin to land with a thud on the beast's shoulder. With a twist of his head he buried his long fangs into the bison's throat and ripped back, opening vicious arterial wounds, and leaped immediately to the side to avoid its dying convulsions. He did not want to be hit when that thing threw its heavy head back, even with Hattori hanging off its nose. It was dead, even though it clearly hadn't realized it, but even as he watched carefully to make sure none of the strangers got caught up in its thrashing its movements slowed to sporadic, then with a last colossal thrash it stopped. It was sad to see such a magnificent creature reduced to this pitiful hulk of meaf, but their world was what it was, and there was no changing this aspect of it.