Recluse Ithuriel-Klein It had been easy enough to spot them from her position patroling the higher part of the volcano, massive furred herds moving across the rock garden, and Recluse knew she couldn't simply pass up the opportunity to feed her pack, they had mostly avoided the worst of the lingering grip of winter, the volcano providing a decent amount of heat still but it hadn't stopped food from becoming more and more scarce. These massive creatures might be able to keep her wolves fed until the weather finally relented... If they could bring them down. Recluse tipped her head back to call for her pack, she had little option to be too picky and so did not exclude her lower-ranked members, they might as well prove their usefulness to the pack by helping. And then she set off, heading towards the rock garden, keeping her senses alert for who would join her and stopping only once they were at the steppe, settling herself behind some of the still-standing stones, and waiting for her pack to gather with her so they could come up with a plan. "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

Iza always kept a sharp eye to the pack lands, to the outside world (from within the pack lands.). She was just the type to be overly watchful for threats or to just secure her home and those she served. Eyes or silver were placed in a cold expression, blank to the naked eye. Silent were her steps as taught by her oñd teachers back in her Homeland. Calmly she strolled through the volcanic terrain with eyes in constant alert. And thereupon the call of her alpha she rushed down to the other territory. Finding Recluse there. But she didn't speak just stood there behind. Ready to do as she was told. "Speech"

This world was insane. While hiding away and licking his wounds, the man had noticed an ever-present winter. Now, huge beasts he had never seen before roamed freely about. He had avoided the hulking creatures as best he could, not ready to jump into the Frey just yet; his feathered friend had finally gathered his strength back from almost drowning and then again from not flying for an extended time. Feeling the most like themselves has they had since landing here, the pair set off to find some proper food, and prod around the surrounding packs. The one that was at the forefront of his mind was the one the gray and white woman had mentioned. She had promised to heal him, but he tended to his own wounds as best he could. The scars still lingered on his chest and legs, but would hopefully heal further. Maybe if he did join her pack, she could provide something to ease the scarring.

A distant howl caused the raven to warble, and the one-eyed man looked toward its source. He huffed a snort, amused that he should hear from that particular pack. A hunting party, and the man could not help himself from investigating. If the leader could find him useful, perhaps he would have his way into their ranks. He didn’t have to jog for long; it seemed they were gathering here, away from their claimed lands. Tiberius approached casually, his steps sure and purposeful. Single green eye bounced between the two that arrived first, settling on the pale woman. Was this the niece he had been told about? Stopping a respectful distance from the strangers, he called out, hoping he would suit their purpose.

“Need some assistance?” Posture remained eased, tip of his tail flickering between his ankles. If they were planning on hunting what he assumed, they would need as much help as they could get. Magni ruffled his feathers and stretched to poke his head above Tiberius’ from his perch upon the man’s back.

Áskell was exploring the northern side of the volcano. He'd been distracted lately and took to wandering to clear his head and gather his thoughts. He looked out toward the steppe below then froze as he realized something big was moving across the plain. Several bit somethings! Oh shoot, and of course his dad was out traveling. Áskell started his descent when he heard Recluse howl, calling together the pack for a hunt. Had she seen them to? Oh, he wanted to help. He bounded toward her call, tail wagging and eagerness on his face. He was a yearling now and eager to start showing his skills to the pack. It was true he'd trained more in battle than hunting but causing damage was something he was decently good at.

Úlfr had been watching the mammoths for awhile, more out of curiosity than thinking he'd actually hunt one. He'd been journeying north when he small herd caught his attention and drew him to a sudden stop. He'd never seen anything like them and he'd have thought they were the frost giants from his mothers stories but they seemed to content themselves with eating vegetation buried under the snow. A howl caught his attention. He noticed the mammoths didn't seem particularly perturbed and he scrambled to see who had sounded the call. There was a small group of wolves gathering and he spied Áskell, one of the boys he'd run into when looking after Dagrún. He headed over toward the younger boy. "Hey, does your group have room for an extra set of paws for this hunt?"

If there was ever one thing that could be certain, it was that Kali would never miss an opportunity to show herself off. Thus, when her mother’s call rang out she was quick to her paws. She’d grown a decent amount, her legs lengthening leaving her gangly yet lithe and obviously quickly on her way to being built just like her mother. She left Aba and Abi behind, mostly with the cold in mind but also knowing they would be able to do nothing against the giant furry beasts that they would be targeting. Her chocolate paws carried her just past their borders to the Stone Steppe where she could see 4 other wolves present aside from her mother. Her lips tilted down in a small frown, disappointed that she hadn’t been the first to arrive, but that was fine. She was at least the first of her siblings. She walked up to her mother with no reservations, her frown turning into a bright smile and her tail began to wag. ”Here to help, Mom,” she said, batting her bi-colored eyes sweetly and giving the pale woman a lick to the chin in respect before settling down next to her with her head held high. Yes, just where she was meant to be.

Talking

SHIBA KLEIN

Recluse’s call reached her and Shiba was quick to answer, moving towards where the alpha was gathering others. She had made a vow to be present, to try and reconcile for her extended absences from the family. She still couldn’t say she had been as present with all of her family as she would like, but she would work on that. For now, she would take part in a hunt. It wasn’t her strongest skill by any means, but she wasn’t incapable of providing for herself, or assisting in providing for the pack when it came to food. She’d lived on her own long enough to have confidence in her abilities, and she found herself excited for the upcoming hunt.

When she arrived, there was only one unfamiliar face, but two were loners. He gaze landed on Tiberius, the prickly man she’d found half drowned on the beach the previous season. She hadn’t been surprised that he hadn’t found his way to Habari’s borders, and figured he’d either found some other pack or gone off to die alone. He still stood though, scarred and still healing, but in much better shape than the last time she saw him. She flashed him a quick, surprised smile. He’d been the last person she expected to see here, but she couldn’t say she was disappointed. Her gaze then fell to Recluse, waiting for further instruction.

"Speech."

I JUST WANT A TASTE

It felt good to be back in good graces. Eraithus wanted to say he didn't care, though in the end he didn't, he still had a feeling of shame burning beneath his pelt when he had gone through his punishment. One could say he learned a little bit of humility. His head no longer wrapped around his missings siblings instead his energy focused on helping Recluse and even Deathbelle where he could. And in turn when he had seen the massive beasts from another land he had been wide eyed. Yet again the land seemed to be changing, the winter had been avoided thanks to their volatile living place. Recluse had called and in preperation they were gathering a rather large amount of wolves. Even some weren't even part of Habari which made sense considering they had come to the stone steppe to do their work.

Eraithus was not a hunter by any means. Of course he did it to eat and feed others but it wasn't a skill he really enjoyed. An opportunity like this could not be missed. One of these animals would feed the pack for days - with so many hungry young mouths to feed with Recluse and Deathbelle's litter it was no wonder that Recluse wanted to take a run for these giant fluffy beasts. Except he had a feeling in his gut that wasn't a good one, anxiety creeping up on him. They didn't know anything about these giant animals. Sure they herded but with massive tusks and fur like that would they even be able to break through the skin of the animals. What of their behavior, were they herbavores? Then again with a few giant wolves on their side things wouldn't be so hard.

"I'm here wherever you need me Recluse. I am not an expert on hunting so I'd like to know what I should do." Eraithus at least worked well with others and when he spoke to the ghostly alpha there was a smile on his face and dedication in his eyes. He loved being a part of Habari and participating in events like these reminded him of why he had decided to stay in the first place. The wolf had found his calling and he would risk life and limb for this pack. His eyes flittered to the group, excited to learn the wisdom that others had to offer.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

The man had unintentionally made his way southward. After running in to the red coated man he'd intended on tracking Odyssia down, but things hadn't gone down like that. The weather in the north had brought on a nasty storm and he'd been quite lost by the end of it. Instead he'd ended up headed east bound with no idea of where he was going or how to track down his best friend. In the end he'd bedded down in the east and had instead taking to watching the area around him as he formulated a game plan of how to reunite with his companions. His mind was easily side tracked by the earth shaking giants that walked the lands with a slow gait. Why should something that big feel the needs to hurry with anything? They reminded him of the elephants in his home land, but furrier and far bigger in stature. He imagined meat like that would have been welcome for any large group, but seeing as he was alone he assumed the chances of hunting one was zero. That was until a howl rang across the stone steppe. He could tell by the call that it was a pack wolf, but after quickly double checking, he came to the conclusion he was not on pack lands. With nothing better to do and a growling stomach to fuel his drive to participate, he headed off towards the direction of the howl. He was overly cautious and his footsteps light as he approached the group. Their leader was easy to spot and his vibrant orange gaze locked on the woman as he came to a halt near the group, but far enough away he could escape if his presence wasn't welcome. "I would like to assist if you'll have me. I would only ask for enough to fill my stomach and I would be on my way." It was a more than fair offer in his opinion. He wasn't here to step on toes or cause problems. He merely wanted a full stomach before he resumed his journey. Walk, "Talk" Think

It was with a rumbling stomach the dainty woman answered the call of a strange pack. She'd been heading northward to check out some of the ruins Milo had mentioned. She'd heard the hunting call and made sure she wasn't crossing a pack border before she continued to the group of wolves. There were already quite a number there already. Her stomach rumbled again as if signifying that this was absolutely a good idea. Not thinking much about boundaries or if she was even welcome, she plopped herself down as though she belonged there. Without a care in the world she looked back and forth between the assortment gathered. "I'm Antheia, what can I do to help?" She was small, but she was quite fast and had decent stamina. She could definitely hold her own when it came to physical endurance. Not to mention if anyone got injured she could patch them up afterwards. "speak."| "You"

Recluse Ithuriel-Klein Some of her pack would rally behind her, feeling even a swell of pride as one of her daughters joined her, though she was less warmed by the loners that found their way to her group, though as she noted some of her own pack didn't offer their aid, so she was forced to become beholden to these strangers, something she was not happy about but also wasn't about to turn away, fully aware if she wished to bring in a decent amount of prey back for her pack she would need more help than she had on hand. "I will not turn help away." She said in response to many of the strangers, having asked if they could be allowed to join. "Pull your weight and you'll all be allowed a fair share." She narrowed her eyes, making it clear she still intended to take the lions share of the hunt but would at the very least let each of the individuals take enough for themselves. She turned towards the whole group, sweeping cherry gaze over the wolves around her. "I highly doubt these things will go down easy and it'll be important we can in fact make the decisive blow, any ideas on how to topple one of them?" "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

"Speech" Izanami waited, quiet, just observing. She was an observer, a lurker, always thinking before acting or speaking. Her posture was relaxed, neutral in feelings, wondering how to bring down the beast. This would certainly be a challenge, one that could be greater than any she has had in the past, and silently she observed as more wolves joined them, also interested in bringing down one of those, as long as those loners weren't a dead weight he wouldn't complain, but with any sign of laziness and foolish behavior would be met with the proper punishment. Then, her Arufa(Alpha in Japanese), spoke, giving permission to assist and get food to the two rouges. Again she wouldn't do anything about it unless they gave her reasons to not do it. "What about using sharp spears? To cause damage to them? We could make some and let them run toward it. We would need to pick either a young one or sick." There was all she could think.

Áskell grinned at the young hunter he recognized from Fireside. They weren't necessarily close friends but he knew the other wolf was an accomplished hunter and Áskell couldn't help but make use of the connection to spy a little bit. So far he hadn't had much luck. He learned that the Buffalo Knolls were full of buffalo, big duh, but it was a start.

Recluse called the meeting to order by asking if anyone had any ideas on how to take down the massive creatures. Oh boy… Áskell frowned as he tried to think of something. He glanced to Izanami at the mention of spears. "Spears could be helpful but how would we set them up to have the mammoths run into them? Do you mean like in a pit? It would take awhile to dig something that big." He didn't know if there were any natural pits or crevices nearby they could utilize.

Úlfr settled down and listened attentively as the alphess spoke of hunting the great beasts. He was eager to give it his best shot but he was also nervous to hunt something so big. The biggest creature he'd ever attempted to hunt was a bison and these creatures seemed to dwarf even the bison. Úlfr thought for a moment. He had to agree that digging such a massive pit would take forever, even with the number of wolves they had. "How long do you think we can make the run? If we can keep the pressure on we might be able to run them off the cliffs of the polar sound." They could set up spears below though it would be such a great fall that might not be necessary. It was hard to say for sure.

The man merely nodded as the woman in charge spoke to him and another small woman who had joined the gathering. He knew a thing or two about pulling his weight and wasn't concerned about being a burden. He listened as talk about how to kill one spread across the group and he sat silently for a few moments as he analyzed the build of the elephant-like creatures. They'd had elephants at home. These seemed like a woolier smaller eared version of them. That long hair was going to be disastrous to try and bite through. The tusks were a concern as well. "We would need something to scare them enough. The mentality of a herd of elephants is to protect their young" He spoke from experience. "Picking off an older one would be a better idea. More meat and less risk. If there's a rock area around here we could cause a rockslide or similar disturbance and scare them. From there they might be more willing to run away from a group of wolves. From there, separate one away from the group and send it over this polar sound." He offered. He knew nothing of the landscapes around here or what could be used as an advantage, but the idea was there. If anyone had a way to improve upon it he would listen. Walk, "Talk" Think

Antheia smiled at the woman who allowed her to join the hunt, completely unaware of the distaste the female had. She was too excited to be doing a group hunt that involved yet another strange creature she'd never seen before. She made herself comfortable as talk started to go around the group as to how to take one of the creatures down. Her head tilted thoughtfully as she tried to come up with an idea, but so many good ones had already been suggested, she wasn't sure how to improve upon them. "Fire could be useful. We could start a number of controlled fires along the way to the sound to keep whichever one we pick off from leaving the intended path?" The fires would have to be placed carefully, but with as much snow as there was the chances of one of them getting out of control and starting a wildfire was slim. It would also keep the beast scared enough to keep running. "I'm also a fast runner. I can help with that." "speak."| "You"

SHIBA KLEIN

Shiba’s limited knowledge in hunting has never been an issue before. She was functional in her abilities, well enough to participate in most hunts, but these were creatures she’d never even seen before. Their strengths and weaknesses were a mystery to them all, and any tactic they came up with had the potential to fail and end in serious bodily harm if they misjudged their approach. She wished she had more time to watch the creatures, to study them. It might have given them some advantage, but this was happening now. She listened quietly as others began to make suggestions, seeing the logic behind going after an older individual. These things weren’t elephants as far as she knew, but they were close enough in appearance that it didn’t seem a like a long shot to assume their behaviors would be similar. Aside from agreeing with had already been suggested, she didn’t have much to add to the conversation, so she stayed quiet and listened attentively, ready to fall into whatever position she needed in order to do her part.

"Speech."

I JUST WANT A TASTE

He watched carefully as more of the pack showed up. Eraithus wasn't so sure about the loners joining them but with the unknown of these animals it might have been best they have them around. His logic was soon swept out from under him when recluse spoke. A flock of his ear showed the blue wolf was listening. His eyes scanning the wolves they would be working with. Eraithus especially took note. If a successful hunt was to happen then there would be in the end teamwork to be had. He was no hunter, despite his ability as a grown adult so the ideas springing left and right came as a surprise. Whats more was he wondered what recluse would decide.

"We could always single one out and trip it?" His head tilted to one side. "We could use a long rope, a few wolves would be waiting to ambush the mammoth that the rest of us chase. Once tripped it gives us a chance to strike with whatever we want. Spears, Teeth or anything like that. The rope could also help keep the animal contained with less risk of kicking. If we had a chance pin its head down to make sure those tusks don't hurt." Eraithus was not sure how silly this idea entirely sounded. The hunters ideas of running them off cliffs was probably the best choice. However, Eraithus felt like it was safer and more convenient to harvest the animal after taking it down. No climbing required. Besides there was no telling what would happen with these unpredictable animals.

MADE BY MINNIE of BTN

It seemed that most of the wolves who gathered were members of the same pack, and the one who called was obviously the leader. There was, strangely, one familiar face in the crowd, and his eyes narrowed when he glanced Shiba's way. How fortuitous, he groaned inwardly. His attention returned to the leader, not wanting to draw the gray woman's gaze. The leader was quick to clarify that this was their hunt, and those that did not belong in their ranks would be allowed to take enough to fill their bellies. That was enough for Tiberius, in this moment, so he offered a shallow nod at her terms. She then asked for ideas, and her packmates were quick to offer them up. Single pale eye switched to each wolf as they spoke, taking in the ideas and mulling them over. Spears, the way of the lemming, fire. The man thought they all had their merit, but he truly wasn't sure what would work better with these furry beasts - and neither did they, it seemed. Finally, an oddly colored man spoke up about ropes, and Tiberius' interest was piqued. If they had the ropes readily available, all they would need to do is find some sturdy trees then pick one of the weaker ones, as someone else had already suggested. He lifted his head to peer back at the bird on his shoulders, but Magni was busy preening himself.

"I like the rope idea," he said simply, nodding to the owner of the idea. "Pick one, trip it up, finish it off. Such large beasts will not get back to their feet quickly, which will give us time to strike." He paused, rolling his shoulders to shake Magni to attention. "My companion can scout ahead to pick a smaller, weaker one, if desired." The raven warbled, though whether in agreement or protest was a mystery. Tiberius offered a smirk to Magni's voiced opinion, waiting to see what the pale woman chose.

Recluse Ithuriel-Klein Recluse listened as some of the wolves around her pipped up. While weapons were not a bad suggestion she knew they wouldn't be enough to really bring one of the massive creatures down. Though Recluse herself was not keen on the idea of using fire her little pyromaniacs back in the packlands had made her distaste for the substance... weaker and she nodded at Antheia. "I know where we can get ample enough fire." She said, eyes glinting with mischief. But it was Eraithus that finally brought it all together, she watched the herd for a moment, their feet barely skimming above the ground. Tripping them up might be easy enough. "I agree that tripping them and then descending upon an old one is probably the best option." She nodded at Eraithus. Recluse glanced at the wolves around her. "We'll need strong wolves to be able to hold onto the trap..." She swung her gaze towards the Fireside wolf (Úlfr) and the dark man (Olysseus). "You and... you, can I trust you both to handle yourselves with a rope? Once the beast is down you may help to tie it up and descend upon it." Then her attention turned towards the other stranger, taking a quick moment to notice the way he had eyed up her aunt before calling out to him as well. "Have your raven scout out for an old or weak looking member of the herd." Finally she looked at her aunt and cousin. "You two return to the packlands and collect us some fire, if you have any issues I'm sure my son will be more than happy to help. Oh and some rope from my den while you're at it! The rest of you, lay low for a while longer." Recluse nodded, turning her attention back towards the herd and trusting her orders would be followed for the time being. "Speech"

Art by Sirinsong