Chade felt incredibly honored to be leading a group hunt.  He had spent a good bit of time watching the land they intended to take, hoping to get some prey on it truly worthwhile for a large-sized group to hunt.  The water certainly did attract enough prey but he hadn’t found what he wanted yet.  After some patience and restless waiting his patience paid off.  He had caught the scent of a male moose and moved farther off to call for the others to join him on the border of firefly lake.  Moose was a prey animal Chade wouldn’t choose to take on alone and if done wrong could land a wolf some solid injuries that were nothing to laugh at.

The unfortunate part of all this was who would be in his group hunt.  Well, today was about being professional and working as a team even if one was nothing but a red demon.  It was frustrating that the one wolf he didn’t get along with had to Manea and Alastor’s child.  Once the group had shown up Chade’s thrill of being a leader in a hunt washed away reservations about dealing with Saracyn.

When the wolves were gathered Chade announced, “A moose has come to visit our future plot of land.  It will be a great amount of meat as well as an excellent experience for working as a team.  Hopefully, the moose will simply run and we can bring it down similar as we do the likes of the reindeer but it might turn to fight so need to be ready for both.”  Hunting was the easy part of all of this.  Chade attempted to make sure his voice rang with confidence and not just a young wolf offering up a reckless strategy.  He needed them to trust his words and insight.

“We’ll run up on the moose with two wolves on either side of it.  Poe and Naraca will be towards the back.  Don’t get directly behind the legs at any point but stay to the side on the back legs, nip if that’s all you can do but if you get a solid bite in that will be great.  You’ll be helping to make sure it would rather run than turn to fight.” In a way, Chade would love to fight it but this was a hunt and he wanted to keep it as such. “Saracyn and I will be near its front shoulders, keeping it between us.”  Chade considered the red wolf a moment before adding, “when the moment is good I’ll aim a bite to its shoulder, shove myself into its path, I’ll make sure it gets into your path so you can get a solid fast bite into its neck.”  

Chade looked between the wolves, “It’s a kill to be proud of, but remember to be on guard so that no one gets hurt.  Any questions or concerns?”  He’d let Saracyn get the kill and even help set it up for the other wolf.  Animosity had no place in the teamwork of a hunt.

"Chade"

Ara arrived promptly and stuck herself in front of the blue toned wolf. Mmmm, those red eyes in a blue coat popped rather wonderfully, and she tried not to let her gaze linger across his form for too long. If it was anything but a pack related event she might have let her season heat distract her, but alas. She owed Manea better than that.

Aside from giving him the occasional hungry glance, she kept it professional and listened as he laid out the plan. She let out a soft, audible sigh at hearing she was just a harrower and someone else would be getting the kill. She would much prefer a dangerous job - through running behind the powerful hooves perhaps wouldn’t be a walk in the park, either. She perked up a little at the thought. “I’m ready to kick ass, boss” she purred.


"Naráca Mendacium"

Saracyn was not exactly happy to be forced into working alongside the blue brat—especially not when he was heading the hunt—but at the end of the day, this would be beneficial to the pack. Elysium would have more meat in its larders for the rest of winter and the lake his parents were seeking to claim would have their first prey's blood spilled across its soil. As much as he disliked Chade, he did love a good hunt, and they would all look good helping to expand Elysium's borders. So he would play nice—for now. How long this truce lasted remained to be seen, but it at least meant Saracyn wouldn't try to shove his rival beneath the stampeding hooves of a moose. Although the idea did sound pleasing...

Gathering along the border of the lake territory, Saracyn could already smell the unmistakable musk of the bull moose somewhere in the area. No doubt drawn here by the major water source the lake was for all prey animals. Chade began to lay out the plan of attack—the team would split in two and flank the moose, hoping to drive it into fleeing. Then he and Chade would take it down from the front and keep it corralled within the territory. If it fled too far south, they risked losing it over the borders into Abaven. Sara certainly didn't want to be handing another pack a free meal, so he mentally committed to working with Chade in whatever capacity he had to in order to make sure this kill stayed Elysium's.

Chade concluded the meeting by asking if anyone had any questions or concerns. Saracyn had none and shook his head in reply. "I'm ready to go when everyone else is," he remarked. "Try not to get kicked in the head, anyone. My mother will be very upset if we bring a corpse back along with dinner." There was a bit of grim humor in his remark, but also a serious warning. Moose were no easy prey to bring down, and he'd heard stories of how a single bull moose could easy turn an adult wolf from an is to a was.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Arcturus was a last minute addition to the hunt since he had been out with Vanille when they were arranging things, but he hopped in eagerly since he was always game for a good hunt. When they arrived at the lake that he had heard they were planning on grouping into Elysium’s lands Chade kicked things off and laid out the game plan. He nodded in agreement, glancing toward Naraca who he had been paired off with. He had never spoken to the horned woman before, but from his experience hunters all pretty much spoke the same language so it should be easy enough to figure things out. He gave a small shake of his head to Chade when the blue hued man asked if there were any questions and then gave a little chuckle but still nodded in agreement to Saracyn’s comment. Yes, they all needed to avoid any blows to the head today.

"Arcturus Indarra"

Chade main focus was on this hunt and his role of being in charge and thus the responsibility weighing on him.  It was so important he do everything right.  While he noticed Naracas glances his mind had other matters in the front of it.  The young wolf had crossed over a year last season and was just recently promoted to Rapax.  He was trying to prove himself as deserving of the honor of his recent promotion, as much to himself as the rest of the pack.
Chade showed a moment of surprise then a small grin as he spotted Arc come up as the last member of the hunt.  He was still getting to know the other wolf but so far he’d seemed nice and had some similar interests. Everyone was good with the hunt and Saracyn wasn’t showing signs of his dislike of Chade in front of the group. Was there any chance the two hunters could ever learn to get along outside of a group hunt?  Well, that question would keep for another day.

Chade nodded as they all understood their part and trotted off, heading towards their prey.  Once the moose was visible Chade paused, glancing to the others in the group, the last checkup that everyone seemed ready.  There were plenty of reeds and higher grasses but there was only so long until the moose would notice the pack of wolves out here.  As it was a blanket of white dragged most life out here so that the wolves stood out well.  It would be fine to chase it down but the closer they got still the better so that it didn’t get as far and that it didn’t have time to think of whether it would rather run or fight.

The moose had been grazing relatively close to the lake shore where reeds were thick.  When the moose spotted them Chade picked up speed, keeping to its left side, letting Saracyn go for the right, expecting Naraca and Arc to do the same behind them.  The moose hesitated for a second, lowering its head and shaking it as if he might fight but then seemingly changing his mind and running away from the lake he’d been enjoying a moment prior.

"Chade"

Ara was the first to arrive, and she watched as the other wolves filled in. She grinned at her little (big) nephew, and then her niece as the two younger wolves joined the party. They weren’t really her niece and nephew, but it was easier to call them such then the true extended name. They were family, and she was happy to hold them close with the words she used.

Then the party was off, tracking down the moose through the long reeds by the lake. It was a beautiful territory, and the Mendacium was more then happy that the pack was assimilating it.

When the moose came within their sights, the hunt was on. She fell in with the group as it began to chase and herd the creature.


"Naráca Mendacium"

With no questions from any of the others in the hunting party, the group was off, their mission begun. Saracyn returned his aunt's eager grin while Chade took point, and while the notion of following the orphan vagrant didn't sit well with him, Saracyn at least knew better than to cripple his odds of success or incur his mother's ire by deliberately sabotaging or being insubordinate when his cooperation was required. Still, he made sure he was notably second in line behind the blue boy, staking his position in the group. After all, he and Chade had to lead the charge. Trudging through the dense snow, the multicolored hunting party made their way toward the lake where their prey had been spotted. Their paws crunched the fresh snow beneath them, Sara keeping his body low beneath the tall reeds and cattails to keep his ostentatiously crimson form hidden and out of sight.

They could smell the moose before they saw it, the giant herbivore's musk thick on the air. Its massive silhouette loomed beyond the reeds, dark against the snow as it grazed near the edge of the lake. Moving closer upon it, the wolves were silent hunters, but the bull moose caught a glimpse of Chade's blur fur and turned to flee. Like hell you're getting away...! Saracyn thought with a snarl, and then the chase was on. He kicked off the ground in a flurry of powdery snow, propelling himself like a bolt of red lightning after the moose. Their quarry's long legs gave it a tremendous stride, but it was still slower than the lupines pursuing it. While Chade went left, Saracyn veered right, the fog of his humid breath trailing from his panting muzzle as he raced after their prey. Moose were huge and dangerous, so he knew better than to try to be a showboat about this. He didn't need to wind up dead from antlers to the face or a hoof to the throat.

Saracyn ran along the right side of the moose, snapping at its heels to keep it moving in the direction Chade wanted it to go. Whether they led it into an ambush point or ran it down meant little to the dire wolf, so long as the day ended with a dead moose and a smorgasbord of meat for the pack.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Chade kicked off their hunt and he followed behind him and Saracyn as they stalked the moose. Only briefly after they reached where the moose was grazing the prey looked up and noticed them, taking off in an attempt to run away. The moose wasn't going to get away from them though and the four of them took off after it. As planned, Sara and Chade pulled to the front, one to the left and one to the right, while he and Naraca kept toward the back. He nipped and snarled at its legs, avoiding the swing of its hooves as ran but still keeping it moving. He wasn't going to do anything that would put himself in danger, but he did want to do something that would put the hunt in their favor. He let them run down the moose a bit, waiting for the perfect moment, and then he struck, slicing his saber fangs through its hind leg near the knee. That earned a squeal of pain from their prey and it kicked out at him as it began to stumble and struggle to stay on its feet. He wasn't able to get away right away so its hoof hit his shoulder and made him stagger back a bit with a grunt, but it didn't hit hard enough to stop him and after a moment of playing catch up he was right back into the hunt.

"Arcturus Indarra"

The group was doing a good job with team unity Chade noticed as they got around the moose in the desired positions.  The muscles and antlers on the moose were no joking matter.  The animal could easily damage them if anyone messed up but it was also completely possible to take it down, especially with a solid group of hunters.  

Chade shifted his shoulders with his head turning on the notion of getting a bite to a leg but before he could even start to attempt the snap he saw the moose’s head turn, head tilting with an antler ready to lash out if Chade continued his motion.  They had time so Chade could wait for an opportunity.  The opportunity came the moment Arcturus slashed out at the back leg.

When the moose kicked out at Arc it also raised its head up as it cried out in pain, neck momentarily more exposed and its attention was not on the two wolves near its front end for half a second.  Chade lunged in, leaping up to get a solid bite into the meaty shoulder, shoving his weight into the large animal.  Trying to put an animal like a moose off balance on his own would be a joke but now its back leg was also injured and it was momentarily confused.  Chade had no notion of knocking it over or anything so dramatic.  His job was to do damage, distract and help give the other wolves a chance to get their attacks in.  

If the moose would just take even one stride towards Saracyn as it dealt with Chade’s attack then the demonic wolf could use all his aggression to bite into the animal's neck to rip it open.  Even if they couldn’t kill it from a quick bite if they all did enough damage to the legs to slow it and Saracyn got a solid tearing bite into the neck to make the blood flow faster it should only be a matter of time.    Chade couldn’t keep a bite on its shoulder long though, the moose head was quickly turning towards Chade and he would let go before those antlers could send the blue wolf sailing.


"Chade"

She ran alongside her nephew and spared him a gleeful glance. Her blood was hot with the hunt, and she was eager for the kill. When she got closer enough, she lowered her head, and managed a jab to its upper leg as they attempted to bleed and weaken it.

The lead wolves were doing their own bit of damage, and Ara knew the killing strike would land soon. While she was a little disappointed to be in the back, she didn’t let it stop her from doing her job. Any chance she got, she would swipe at the moose. Cause whatever distraction she could as the two lead wolves looked for the opening they needed to end it.


"Naráca Mendacium"

Soon enough, the moose realized that it was trapped between the group of wolves herding it through the snow to its inevitable demise. More than once, the bull moose tried to use its greater size and weight to push out from the wolves, but neither Saracyn nor Chade gave it any quarter. Any attempts at breaking free were met with sharp teeth and snapping jaws. Though most of his moves were meant to intimidate and keep the moose moving, he did note that Naraca and Arcturus were doing a good job lashing out at the prey animal, landing some good wounds that made it bellow in pained begin to lose blood. When Chade got his bite in to latch on the moose's shoulder, the gigantic cervine gave a wailing moan of pain, stumbling about in the snow with the added weight of the wolf dragging it down. This was the opening Sara needed and now was his time to shine!

Sprinting forward to keep ahead of the moose, Saracyn turned on his heels and lunged, using his greater height to propel himself up high enough to latch his jaws around the base of the moose's throat. He bit down hard, serrated teeth carving their way through flesh, sinew, and arteries as hot blood gushed into his mouth like he'd bitten into a ripe berry. The moose bellowed in fright again, now stumbling and nearly collapsing into the snow with the weight of two wolves on it. The prey animal was bleeding significantly, but Saracyn wasn't giving it a chance to recover. Grabbing as much meat in his jaws as he could, the dire wolf snarled and thrashed his head, savaging the moose's throat until blood poured down its chest.

Gradually, the moose's strength began to wane, and after a few more moments it came collapsing to the ground, still breathing and barely alive, but exsanguinating fast with every slowing beat of its heart. Sara spat out the mouthful of meat and fur he had, a triumphant grin on his lips as he stood lording over the dying animal. Though he wanted to deliver the killing blow himself, this had been a team effort, and it was only fair everyone got their shot. He looked over to Naraca and Arcturus, nodding to them both to deliver the coup de grace.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

His and Naraca’s bites were enough to slow the moose down and make it unstable enough for Chade and Saracyn to leap into action. He saw Chade leap up and bite into its shoulder, weighing it down and dealing more damage, but more importantly it gave Saracyn the perfect opening to tear into its throat.

After that it didn’t take long for the moose to collapse, blood pouring freely from the massive wound at its throat. He knew that it would certainly not survive like this, but they should still deliver a killing blow to put it out of its misery anyway. When Sara nodded to him and Naraca to finish the job he came up behind the beast and, while still avoiding its massive antlers, sliced his large sabers through the back of its neck at the base of its skull, twisting his head with his bite solidly through its spine and ending this quickly for them. Letting go he grinned victoriously at his hunting party, tail wagging gently behind him.

"Arcturus Indarra"