In his hunt for the origins of the strange dires that had ambushed the Armada, he found a different creature entirely. Like a woolly elephant, a creature that reached soaring heights, with a coat that would make a polar bear envious. It’s tusks were as long as a wolf, and there was enough meat on its bones to feed an entire pack for a week. Of course The Warlord would rise to the challenge. He returned to his pack borders and raised his head to howl to his wolves. In his call, he would tell them about the large prey animals, and the likely danger involved. He wanted there to be no surprises, but he expected a good showing regardless. He ensured he included Take in his call, who he had recently started to apprentice.

Being in a pack had been full of excitement so far. There had been danger. Lots of danger. There was also warmth and food and friendship. She didn't know where Hikaru had gotten off to, but there were other wolves around to make friends with and that was just find with Ada. She was a social little thing and she surely enjoyed talking. She hadn't yet found anyone in the Armada on her same level of bubbliness, but she was determined to make someone like her. When the call came from Sirius, the bob-tailed girl was ready for it. With a bounce in her step, she made her way to where he'd called from. There was a smile on her maw, eyes turning up at the corners as she did so. He hadn't called for her specifically, so she assumed others would come. Ada sat in the snow, little tail involuntarily brushing off a layer of powder behind her as it swished happily to and fro. "Speech"

Just a quick reminder that Aragonesa doesn't remember her name, but for the sake of clarity, those can refer to her by her name or Ara/Auri in their thoughts if you feel the need to Aragonesa hadn't been in the pack long. She was struggling with her inner thoughts focusing on her amnesia. She needed to remember, or know who she was. She had been keeping on the down low while trying to sort through her emotions. But she knew she couldn't stay in hiding for long. The call of Sirius came to her, and she felt it was a good time to take the necessary step forward. She hadn't been doing much for the pack yet and she was overall feeling very useless. The call of the warlord would not go ignored as was expected by any pack member. The tone wasn't of urgency, but welcoming to all The Armada for their help. She arrived, seeing only Sirius who she vaguely knew, and a small girl who seemed pretty eager to get on with the task, not that it had even been announced yet. Auri herself would have probably been just as eager if not for the turmoil she was sorting through. She took a seat by the girl, giving her a smile before looking towards Sirius though more at his paws. Now they just had to wait for others before the task was revealed. Walk "Talk" Think

Gossamer wrestled with Kylfa while Ásta worked on a small fire outside the den. It wasn't for any crafting necessarily, just for a bit of added warm in the cold spring weather as well to practice. Ásta was working on a den design to allow a fire to be built inside but the smoke to escape. The one issue was the weather.

Gossamer pinned Kylfa and let out a whoop of victory just as her father's howl cut through the plains. Her ears perked up. Oh, this sounded interesting! She bounded toward the source of the call. She was going to be a yearling in a month or two, surely Sirius would allow her to participate.

And It's The Stars That Shine For You

Stjarna had spied the strange creatures wandering off in the distance and the first reaction was to shudder. What the hell was going on? First there were the massive dire wolves and now these strange beasts far larger than any animal know to the wolf's knowledge. Star's head jerked up at Sirius' call for a hunt and nervousness started to kindle in their stomach. It had been a long time since Star had been involved in a pack hunt and they wanted to prove their skills.

Stjarna headed for the source of the call and came upon a small group of wolves gathered. The black and white wolf nodded before taking a seat and waiting for the meeting to begin.

The howl from her father immediately caught her attention and got her moving, nearly leaving Marigold in the dust as she raced away from the training grounds to find where he was summoning them to in the Tall Grass Plains. She didn't typically love hunting, but she was certainly never one to turn down a good challenge and after all the uncertainty she went through with doubting if she even wanted to be a healer any more made her more receptive to trying and learning new things. She showed up in her armor and helmet since she had just been training before she arrived, but if their target was actually that big and challenging she was sure it wouldn't hurt to have it. She slid up next to Gossamer, giving a curious glance to the newer members that she wasn't familiar with. Ah well, that wasn't really why she was here, was it? She turned her attentive turquoise gaze to their father with an excited grin, just as her fox companion appeared at her side with an irritated huff, clearly out of breath from trying to keep up with the energetic almost-yearling. "Briar" | "Marigold"

Takeshi had been taken on as an apprentice by Sirius, his mother’s Warlord and leader of the Armada. He spent most of his days traveling between Ashen lands and Armada lands like a glowing ship in the night, quietly traversing the lands which he was quickly coming to know like the back of his paw. He did strength building chores or training in general, learning how to throw his weight around and utilise the claws and companions he’d been given. Under the dark man’s tutelage he was quickly gaining in skill.

He’d been tracing along the borders when Sirius’ call went out, recognizing it as a similar call to an event his parents had held. Unfortunately he hadn’t been able to attend the Ashen hunt due to his training schedule, but it seemed he would make up for it with this one. So, he picked up his pace to a lope and headed toward the call. It wasn’t long before he came upon the man along with several other Armada members. His glowing red gaze settled on his master, a low dip of his head given in silent greeting and respect before he settled himself nearby, waiting for instruction.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

Ophelia was a little late but that was better than not showing up at all, right? She couldn't even claim she'd been overly busy as of late, she was just distracted and a little lost with the thoughts that now had free roam of her mind. Her encounter with the really really big wolf had shocked her to her core, made her realise that the world was far bigger and vast than she'd ever known. And that still scared her, more than it probably should. Slowing to a trot, she huffed and puffed, a little winded as she drew up to mingle with the gathering group. There were a few new faces in the crowd and Ophelia, despite herself, sucked in a surprised breath. How had she not noticed? The Armada she knew and loved had changed so much under her dirty nose and it wracked her with guilt to know she was inevitably falling behind.

Which really ought to mean she should use that to drive her to try harder, be better! Which yes she had every intention to just...doubt always lingered in the corner of her vision and mind. Sometimes it felt like too much, but not today!

Sidling right up to Briar's side, Ophie pressed a quick hug into her shoulder before making a beeline for Gos' side. It felt as though she hadn't spoken or even hung out with her siblings in ages, all no doubt too busy and mature to want to roll in the mud with her. Hm. And then inevitably her focus shifted to her father, tall and broad and yet...somehow smaller than before. At least in her eyes now.

The man had settled in to his new home nicely. Ever since learning how to start a fire from Gossamer, his home had become a lot cozier with the warmth feeding into the den from the cold wind blowing it in. He'd spent the time that he wasn't patrolling the borders sprucing up the den with small animal pelts. At this point he had a nice assortment of furs lining the floor and he was quite pleased. It was about the closest thing to bliss that he was going to get with the spring weather they were having. At least the fire and furs helped ease some of the ache he'd started to develop in his bones. The how from Sirius was enough to pique his interest. He hadn't socialized too much since he'd joined, but there was denying that this wasn't a social call. He rose from his dead and trotted to where the man had called them together. An assortment of mostly strangers greeted him and he internally chastised himself for not going out and getting to know more of the pack members. He was sure there wasn't going to be much talk today, but he could easily understand the others gathered just by hunting with them. He hadn't missed the scent of the strange and wooly creatures. He nodded to Sirius as he approached and sat down waiting eagerly to see how they were going to proceed. Now was the time to prove that, even with how old he was getting, he could still be useful and earn his keep. Walk, "Talk" Think

Mojito was not much of a hunter, his own meager fighting skills meant he wasn't a totally lost cause for feeding himself. Still, he was eager to prove himself, to pull his weight and the boy perked as he heard his warlord calling for them. He told Hoa to stay back at the den, knowing his companion wouldn't really be able to offer much in this situation. The young man trotted towards the call, eyes alighting on more members than the last time they'd been called by their warlord. He instinctually sought out Asla and had to keep his disappointment from showing when he didn't see her. He spotted the woman he'd helped after washing up on their shore and he wound his way towards her, gently offering her a smile and some soft words of suggestion. "Don't push yourself too hard." She had seemed fine physically otherwise but her amnesia gave him pause and he wasn't keen to see her push too hard to prove herself when even a small knock could potentially cause even more issues... especially if the creatures were as large as Sirius' call would lead them to believe.

"Speech!"

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He smiled at little Ada, the first to arrive. She was an upbeat young thing, and a fairly new addition to the pack. His eyes glanced behind the young wolf to his amnesia victim. She needed training and direction to properly contribute to the Armada, and he gave her allowances for her injuries to heal first. Ah! One of his young daughters appeared, and he reached over to drag Gossy close enough to kiss her brow. A lot of small wolves, but height seemed almost irrelevant in the fact of what they would be hunting. Stjarna answered his call, and then another of his children. Briar received the same treatment as Gossy, and Ophelia did as well when she appeared. His apprentice Take The Silent. Sirius acknowledged him with a nod as he settled, before shifting to Valor. In the absence of any higher ranking wolves - and in fact, being the only wolf to appear other than Sirius himself who was over the tender age of two, he was grateful to have the old fighter. “Alright, you aren’t going to believe truly without seeing for yourself, so lets move out” the Warlord directed, before falling into an easy loop in the direction he had left the beasts. As he moved, he spoke. “Valor, in the absence of any higher ranking wolves, I'll have you help me take point in this hunt.” He would be a fool not to make use of his experience. ”Mo, you’ll watch over the runners when those one year and older close in.” he turned his head to meet Mo’s eyes. He was young himself, but on the brink of two and having left his childhood home, he seemed more mature than his age. He would help keep the young wolves out of trouble. With the young being his own pups, but for Take, who might as well be - it was a serious job. But, Mo was a healer, and he would be one of the best suited here for ensuring they were safe. It wasn’t long before the mammoths were in sight - seeing them well and truly before they were close. “Now, strategy - if you have an idea, speak up” this was directed to all his wolves.

The young healer Mojito would come to her, asking her not to push herself too much. She would offer him a smile with a quite voice in turn, "Thank you." He and Sirus were the only two she had spoken to, so she was most comfortable with them. But she didn't want that to stop her from getting to know the rest of the pack. Sirius would start to explain, and make his way to show the group of his own the creatures he had spotted outside the Armada. She was a bit in awe as they peered at them from the distance, their size was unbelievable. But that meant plenty of food for their bellies in this freezing spring. She wasn't sure exactly sure how well she could help. In fact, she was quite certain she would get in the way. But it was time to prove herself, and she could only try her best in helping the rest of the pack. She would only wait for other instructions, not sure what kind of plans the others would have in mind while she didn't have any of her own. "I'll help in any way you need me." Walk "Talk" Think

Briar grinned as her father pulled her in to kiss her forehead, her tail wagging gently behind her. She might be almost a whole year old now, but she still loved getting attention from her dad all the same. A few more wolves joined them, including Ophelia who came up to hug her. She chuckled and returned the affection, watching as her sister went over to greet Gossamer in a similar fashion. She wasn't sure why, but she had always felt a little distant from her sisters. She and Kotori had pretty much always gotten along okay and it wasn't like she didn't get along with Gossamer or Ophelia, but it had always just felt... different. But ever since her spar with Gossamer she felt a little better about being around her so hopefully she could start getting over whatever that weird gap between them was. Of course she was sure it was all just in her head, but either way... she made a mental note to work on that later as her father got their attention and began leading them to go see what would be the target of their hunt today.

She paused long enough for Marigold to climb onto her back and get a good grip around the top edge of her armor before trotting to catch up with the rest of the group. As they were walking, she listened to her father delegate tasks to Valor and Mojito and she quickly noticed what he said about "those one year and older". Her ear flicked with a bit of irritation and a slight frown pulled at her lips. They were almost a year old! Their birthday was in what... maybe a few weeks? A month, tops? She certainly wouldn't disobey her father's directions, especially not after getting in trouble not that long ago, but she wished he'd let them do more. Marigold noticed her displeasure and reached up to swat at her folded back ears, making her glance back at her companion with a huff.

When she looked forward again the huge, wooly elephant looking creatures had come into view and hew jaw dropped open in awe. They were huge! She could see why her father wanted so many of them there for this now. Even with all of the wolves that had gathered to go on the hunt she was skeptical that they'd actually be able to get one of the beasts down on the ground. If they couldn't do that they'd just be biting at it's ankles and that wouldn't work at all. Though if they could figure out a way to trip one of them or knock one of them over... Then they would have a better chance of killing it. But how?

She was already racking her brain for answers when her father questioned them for ideas. Her brow scrunched up with thought as she tried to think of how they could change the pretty plain and flat terrain they were on enough to create an obstacle big enough for them to bring it down. "What if... Do you think we could get one of them to run toward the Hot Springs? Some of those pools are deeper than they look so maybe if it steps in one it could trip?"

"Briar" | "Marigold"

Curiosity arose when Sirius announced they wouldn't believe him until they saw with their own eyes. He could tell something was different, having scented them earlier, but he hadn't spotted any prey animals outside of the normal lately. Whatever the reason for the call, he was sure to find out soon. He trotted after the group and flicked an ear in Sirius' direction as the Warlord gave him, out of all wolves, some authority in this hunt. He had to admit he was a little surprised, but after a quick glance around he realized that Sirius was right. There were quite a few younger wolves along with them. He supposed now would be a good time as any to make a good impression. "I'll do what I can." It wasn't until the strange smelling beasts came in sight that Valor realized that they were about to be in for a hell of a hunt. They reminded him of, well, an elephant, but far woolier and far bigger. It took him a minute to get over his initial shock at seeing them, but after that the gears whirred in his head to try and come up with a strategy. It wouldn't be much different. A lot of prey animals, like moose, were larger than a normal wolf. They would just have to be more careful not to get impaled or crushed. "We should spook the herd and pick out the slowest one. An older one would probably be our best bet since it'll be easier to tire. If we stage some of the younger wolves in different areas leading to the hot springs we can run it towards there without tiring ourselves out. Getting it to trip in the springs is a good idea. With as large as they are I don't imagine they have a good time getting back to their feet if they fall." Walk, "Talk" Think

The pair became a group as more and more wolves arrived. Ada didn't know any of them yet, but she wanted to know all of them. Even if they wouldn't all be friends or something like that, they all had to work together so they needed to know one another, eh? Once Sirius decided that the group was all there, he led them away to show them the item that he wanted to hunt. It was a long walk but Ada didn't mind. She was used to walking. Long, long walks. That was pretty much her whole life. Honestly, it was nice to have a place where she could hang out and settle down. If anything, she was grateful to Hikaru and Sirius for that. Arriving at the edge of a snow covered plain, it took everything within the girl to not make wild exclamations. Instead, her bright orange eyes widened and she looked to Sirius. "Wot in the bloody hell are those?! I've never seen a thing so big!" Down below the great, shaggy creatures lumbered along as though they hadn't a care in the world. And why would they? They were massive! As the subject shifted to how they should hunt the creatures, Ada settled down on her belly in the snow and watched the beasts. She watched them hard. Ears swiveled back to catch the suggestions of the others. Hot springs. Maybe they'll trip. Ideas and theories. She thought for a moment more before looking at them over her shoulder. "We could make them trip." The bob-tailed girl looked back to their future meal. "They're so heavy that they don't lift their feet very high. If we could make a thick trip wire or rope, we could guarantee that they fall into the spring, right?" She then tilted her head slightly as she considered. "Although, if we knock one of those into the spring, how are we going to get it out? I don't think all of us together could pull one out of a hole in the ground." She was young, but her brain was always moving. When ti came to some things, anyway. Brow furrowed, she looked to Sirius for guidance. "Speech"

Glad that her sister accepted her affections-man she would have probably gotten all teary eyed if she hadn't- Ophelia was quick to get down to business. Her eyes went saucer wide once she caught sight of the creatures in question. Something about this season made everything larger than it ought to be, larger than life and twice as dangerous. Her Dad wanted to hear everyone's thoughts and ideas for strategy but try as she might nothing really sprang to mind, she wasn't much of a thinker at the best of times and being put on the spot like this made her feel on edge. Nervous that she might ruin this for everyone. She glanced from one wolf to the next, brows smushed together, only for her to find herself nodding vigorously at Briar's idea. Yup! That sounded very smart and wise to her, better than anything Ophie would be able to put together for sure.

"Maybe it'll drown." That way the water would do most of the hard work, right?

Auri thanked him and Mojito offered her a smile and a gentle encouraging nudge. He couldn't even begin to understand what it must be like for the woman to find herself so suddenly thrown into the pack when she didn't even know who she really was, but she was bouncing back quickly and he wasn't about to try and discourage her. He gave her one last smile before turning his attention towards the Warlord. Mojito felt a brief flash of indignation that he was being treated with kid gloves but he didn't let it show, his rational brain already sweeping in to remind him that he was a healer and it would be important for him to not be in the stomping range in the event anyone else got hurt... and that someone had to look out for the pups. He nodded in response to Sirius.

And then the prey practically appeared before them. Mojito was unable to stop himself from openly gaping, only catching himself a few moments later. They were asked for potential plans. "Tripping them seems like a good idea, or perhaps driving them over a cliff?" Mojito had to admit he wasn't a particularly strong hunter but he wasn't particularly keen on the idea of trying to drag a wooly mass from the srpings, especially as they'd likely be even more heavy once they were sodden.

"Speech!"

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And It's The Stars That Shine For You

Sirius called them to move and he led them to where they could see the large, strange creatures and it quickly became clear that Sirius intended the pack to hunt them. Stjarna stared in surprise then looked back to the mammoths. They were so large and so unknown. Could they really manage to take them down? Sirius called for ideas but Stjarna was afraid to speak. It had been so long and many of these wolves were strangers yet. Star hated the idea of overstepping bounds. As others spoke up though, Star could feel their confidence rise a bit.

"I agree. We can think of them as giant bison in a way. We'll need to get them running to assess weakness and as their throats are so high up off the ground we'll need to cause them to trip or fall to where our hunters can actually deal meaningful, lethal damage." Just biting at the ankles of these creatures was no way to kill them effectively unless they could bring the beasts to their knees. "I haven't been to the hot springs but if there are pools that are large enough to trip one but not engulf it that should be effective. Once it goes down we'll have to move swiftly to overwhelm it and shred the throat." Which was probably easier said than done with how hairy they were.

Gossamer giggle and let her father pull her into a one-armed hug and kiss her on her brow. She hadn't quite reached an age where she might pull away from such affection in a public space. She enjoyed the attention and having been off on her own and focusing on her studies she hadn't felt she'd gotten to spend much time with her parents. Maybe she could find some flowers to bring to her mother later. She grinned as Ophelia and Briar appeared. It really did seem like ages since they'd hung out. Maybe they could go on an adventure or something later. Gossamer was more than ready to take a break from her healing lessons.

Gossamer also shot a smile to Valor as he arrived. Her father started the meeting by leading them to their prey and Gossamer's jaw dropped open as she stared. "Whoa… dad, what are those?" She cocked her head to the side as she watched them move. Her days had been filled with fighting and healing lessons. Apart from rabbits, prairie chickens, and other small mammals she had very little hunting knowledge.

As Briar spoke up, Gossamer nodded her agreement. That sounded like a good idea to her. "Do you think us sneaking up on them then bursting out of cover and snarling at them will be enough? Should we howl a bit first, maybe get them on edge first?" She'd been there when the giant wolves had attacked the Armada. Maybe giant wolves hunting these creatures to and since they were so high up maybe the regular wolves would appear as extra dire wolves at first. Their howls should certainly be familiar.

Several wolves arrived after him but he didn’t take the time to get to know any of them. Not that he could, anyhow, seeing as he couldn’t even speak a word otherwise. Instead, his glowing red gaze took them in, watching their mannerisms and trying to decide who belonged where in the ranks and what their relationships were with those around them. It was sort of like a game, one that he’d grown quite used to playing.

His attention snapped back to Sirius as he began to speak, directing them to follow and the boy was happy to oblige, rising from his seating position to pick up his pace and follow along. His auds swiveled forward to catch the words that were thrown over the Warlord’s shoulder, instructing a wolf named Valor to help take point and a wolf named Mo to basically babysit the youngsters, aka himself. Unlike his brother and most likely Kit, he didn’t take offense to this. He was able to acknowledge that he was young and inexperienced, but he didn’t want to stay that way. Hence, he watched and he listened and he absorbed.

Before long they arrived at the site, the huge forms of the Mammoths coming into form long before they even got close to them. It was clear they were huge, probably taking up the size and weight of 5 of his father, which, considering the Shogun’s stature, was something he shuddered at. A part of him was intimidated but he certainly didn’t let it show, slipping on a mask of focus and determination as the others began discussing a plan of action. His stubby-horned head gave small, thoughtful nods as he listened to them speak, mentions of tripping or heading them off to the hot springs certainly seeming like the ideal options. Of course, nodding was all he could do to show his affirmation, but it was affirmation all the same. Ultimately, it was up to the Warlord.

"Thoughts/expression intention"