Takeshi had hung around after his sparring session with Sirius, choosing to test his skills with spars with his companions. They would attack him at the same time, melee fashion, and he would have to fend them off. By the time they’d finished they were all huffing and puffing and covered in scratches and dirt. The boy moved in the direction of the sea, drenching himself in the cool waters to try and wash away the sweat that had accumulated. He winced as the salt burned his scratches before turning and wading back up the shoreline. He grabbed a quick snack before heading out east from the Ashen borders to the Weeping Willows.

The boy’s nose twitched as he sought out a prey animal to stuff their bellies with for the winter. The Armada was still restocking their stores after they’d been ruined by the flood, so the more meat the better. Soon, the wind brought him the scent of a whitetail deer like a blessing. His auds perked and he immediately switched paths to head in the direction of the animal. It didn’t take long before he found it, pawing at the snow to uncover the dying grass that laid beneath. He hid behind a tree, glowing red gaze squinted as he tried to judge the best course of action.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

Kotori was a restless roamer these days, spending time away from the pack only to come back home for a day or two to check in on how things were fairing.  He would be home again soon and this time likely stay a while longer.  Roaming had some great perks to it but he would never sharpen his fighting skills enough without having the company of other wolves to practice with.  Well, or challenge every predator he ran across but some controlled spars would be wise.

As he trotted through the willows he felt a sense of contentment knowing he had almost made it home.  There would be a den waiting for him.  Out of sight but still close enough was a white tiger named Splash.  Fang was probably with Splash.  Fang was technically Kotori’s pet but it felt like the mongoose had a closer relationship with the cat than the wolf.  Over a year later did the little creature still hold it against him that Kotori had ignored his dislike of the name Fang?  Oh well.

When Kotori caught the scent of a deer he came to a stop then slowly started forward, cautious to move through the tree’s with care to not be spotted.  He had been coming the opposite direction as the other wolf but as he drew near the wolfs scent carried to him.  He had met a few ashen wolves in the past and even if he didn’t know this particular one it was the pack scent he recognized, along with the mingling scent of his own home.

The horned wolf couldn’t imagine his ashen neighbor was out here for any reason other than the deer and wondered how it would work out if they both had similar interests.  First he’d make sure the other wolf even noticed him.  Kotori’s gaze swept about the tree’s until he spotted a flash of red and then it was gone.  Kotori watched the spot until he saw a bit of red again, only when the wind caught the tree’s leaves and sent them dancing, otherwise the wolf was well hidden.

So would this be a fight over meat or a cooperative hunt?  Kotori would boldly assume the other wolf wouldn’t mind a bit of help, creeping a bit closer, ready to charge in when the stranger leapt out of hiding.    


Rudyard Carpathius

Takeshi watched the deer with rapt attention. That was, until the scent of another swept across him on the wind. His muscles tensed and his tail flagged as his nose twitched, dissecting the scent before relaxing. It was an Armada wolf. His head turned, glowing red gaze peering through the foliage trying to gauge where the other was. It took him a minute, as his brown pelt blended in well with the surrounding foliage, but he finally spotted him. He seemed to be crouched, preparing to launch an attack, and any other time the Ashen Dragon may have felt threatened, but they were clearly on common ground. Both wanted to take food back to the hungry bellies of the Armada wolves.

His attention faced forward once more, flicking between the deer and the spot where he’d seen his ally. He shuffled through the underbrush to find a better angle where they could corner the beast, but a sudden change in the direction of the wind ruined his stealth. Their prey’s head shot up, its nose twitching and he knew he couldn’t waste anymore time. He shot out, long legs eating their way across the snowy ground in an attempt to snag the deer before it could come out of its shock.

"Thoughts/expression intention"

It turned out Kotori wouldn’t be waiting for the wolf’s signal.  He apparently botched his stalking and the deer’s head raised in surprised, the white of its tail came up high and fast.  Kotori didn’t glance at the wolf before he charged out, waiting to ask about a plan would only give the long legged deer a chance to get further away from them.

He was hunting with another wolf he knew almost nothing about but was that even necessary right now?   Kotori was still working on learning to hunt deer with another wolf and with a partner he’d never worked with timing was questionable.  He caught up so that he was slightly behind and to the left side, his neck stretched out but as he snapped all he got was air.  Then the deer pivoted quickly away and Kotori followed along.  Damn, he needed to do this perfectly while working with a stranger.  Kotori Fatalis should be good at anything he does, at least around strangers.

Kotori snarled, not in anger but pressing for that extra burst of speed to not be too far behind.  To get close enough to get a real bite at the deer and to stop it from being able to swerve towards him again.  It was more important to kill this deer than any prior one.


Kotori Fatalis

 

The deer patterned boy bolted out as soon as Takeshi had, clearly recognizing their timing had been ruined. Now, it was a fight to keep their prey in check and keep it from escaping into the woods, where it could dart in and out of the trees far more easily than they could. It didn’t help that the pair knew nothing of each other, other than, most likely, their pack allegiances. His companion was faster than him, darting to catch up to the deer which had begun making its first moves in the direction they definitely didn’t want it to go. And, the boy even snapped at it. If Takeshi could speak, he’d have cursed. This only proved to startle the deer more and Takeshi had to work over time to get close to it in time to leap, his paws outstretched and jaws open as he tackled the deer from the side. His teeth dug into the neck, his jaw aching as the animal bleated and tried to shake him off. He pulled his weight back, thankful for his massive size and weight, and the animal stumbled. Takeshi gave a shake of his body and the deer stumbled more. His glowing gaze looked to the boy, eyes pleading to him to throw his weight into the mix. Once it was down, Takeshi could probably keep it down while Kotori dealt the killing blow.

The other wolf managed to get hold of the deer’s neck but the deer wasn’t done yet.  The deer actually continued trying to free itself but it wasn’t going anywhere fast now.  Kotori caught up easily, lowering his head Kotori slammed his horns into the deer’s shoulder, jerking his head up to leave a deep gouge and slash in the shoulder.  Between the weight of the boy’s body-slamming it and the shoulder now slashed the deer couldn’t manage to stay up.  

Takeshi’s weight made the deer fall fully to the ground, its front knees hitting the ground first and then even the back legs slipping under it . With Takeshi’s grip on it the fight was as good as over.  Considering the wolf already had the neck Kotori waited for him to finish it off.  In some insane chance the deer could escape and get up Kotori was ready to run.  The odds of that deer ever standing again were pretty much as slim as you could get.

"Kotori Fatalis"