Alright, so, since they were a pack now, they should start doing pack things, yes? Time for a hunt! Nose to the ground, Warja sorted through the herd scents that peppered the ground around her. All around the grass was torn to shreds and trampled flat; the telling work of hooved animals. They had plenty of game to choose from here. Herds of horses, bison and deer frequented the plains as well as a number of other herd-type animals she wasn't familiar with. The prey Warja had honed in on was a band of horses that had gotten too big for its own good. She'd been following them for hours, never really stressing herself but making sure to keep them running. Sheltered among the healthy members was an assortment of sick, old and young; the pack had a wide variety of flaws to choose from. The leaders were both fresh and inexperienced; the result of the ill-timed death of the head female and the overthrowing of the old stallion. This Warja had observed since the family had formed Secretua. She paused, nose twitching as the coppery smell of blood registered. Somewhere among the horses was a freshly wounded mare. Whether or not she was worth pursuing, Warja didn't know yet, but it was worth sharing should anyone wish to join her. At this point, they had to be tired and thirsty, making the weak especially vulnerable. The sun was setting, the terra darkening; now would be the perfect time for a hunt. She was sure of it. Tipping back her head, Warja howled for Secretua, the promise of a feast hanging in the air. Speaking - -Thinking

Walk | Talk | Think

He had had every intention of showing up at the pack hunt that his sister had called - mostly because he knew it would be expected of him - but it still did not stop his father from seeking him out and making sure himself that his son was on the path toward the Prairie. Rune, as he had been doing a lot of lately, was still patrolling the border, seemingly nervous that somehow the scent might not do its job and keep out unwanted trespassers. Or at least that was how it seemed to Eirik. They might have been small, but in the boy's mind they were still a capable pack, able to defend themselves if someone they did not wish to welcome into Secretua decided they might try crossing the boundary. But the hunt was important; Rune was setting aside his self-imposed, never-ending patrol to participate as well.

Which meant father traveled with son. The pale grey youth was still shaking his head over the matter by the time he ended up within the wide stretch of grassy plain, spying his small sister standing ahead in waiting for the rest of the pack, or at least those who wanted to help, to arrive. His lifted his tail in a little wag of greeting, the nervous sort of look he gave his father easing into a smile. He might have been under the strict scrutiny of his father, but it was easier to deal with having someone else there, and Warja tended to make everything exciting.

"Hey," he greeted as he strolled to a stop, glancing around at where they stood and noting all the absent spaces. No one but him and Dad so far. "Are we going to be it?" he asked with a laugh, hiding the little underlying sliver of worry that began creeping into his head. Surely at least a few more were going to show up?

Walk | Talk | Think The burly male followed behind his son, allowing him the freedom of space considering he knew Eirik was not happy about being called out to join the hunt. It had been a mere precaution. Rune knew the boy's tendency toward laziness, knew that their numbers were still small and likely not to grow too fast from the start; every little bit of help they could get, the better off they would be. And Eirik had plenty of potential, even if he had not realized it yet. But his daughter, he knew, had already realized hers. Of the three, she seemed to be the most driven, the most self-assured and capable. There was pride in his eyes as he saw her lithe frame amid the grasses that made her stand out, watching his son hurry ahead to join her. Rune took his time, still occasionally glancing toward the borders and feeling that little sliver of paranoia as it touched the back of his neck. He could not continue to monitor those boundaries forever. He had to trust that they would hold, that Secretua's strength and stability would hold against any who would threaten them. This - forcing himself away from patrolling them to relax with a pack hunt - was the first step toward convincing himself. Coming up to his two children, the male caught Eirik's words and answered in place of Warja, "You forget how many of us there are." Aside from those present, they only lacked three old enough to truly participate, with two young ones who were barely in the learning stages. As he considered it, Rune was suddenly more glad he had come along himself. Maybe he would have to put in a better effort of being tolerant and see if there were any beyond the border of Secretua who might benefit from joining the pack. "Whatever the case, we'll make it work," he assured them both, unwilling to be discouraged by attendance to their first pack hunt. Everything would fall into place in time.

Keiki was only just starting to recover, not nearly strong enough for a hunt, much to the girl?s chagrin. Still Alamea had managed to reason with the girl, an impressive feat on its own-especially since her daughter had insisted on not making eye contact to show her annoyance. Alamea had suggested that she offer to watch Maia?s kids so that the woman could join them if she so wished. The grey and white girl had grudgingly agreed and Alamea had taken her leave. The small white woman joined her family upon the prairie coming up beside her mate as he spoke. "A challenge never hurt anyone, besides even failure can be valuable." The woman smiled at her children, it might do them good to learn just how infallible they really were, and to learn how to accept defeat gracefully. Still she hoped for success, it might help to really cement the idea of them as a pack to be able to take down some larger prey. "Speech"

A call would stir the woman from her afternoon nap in the sun. Her would slowly flutter open, her legs stiffening in a stretching. She would rise, shaking an dust and debris from her dark pelt. She had yet to admit anything was wrong. Exhaustion pulled at her mind no matter how long she slept. Her appetite was hit or miss but she forced herself to eat to stay healthy. Her boys were all she had to keep herself going, they still needed her. Today they had gone exploring with Keiki, promising not to go near the borders and stay within the heart of their home. She would try to get to the meeting in a decent time, but she was still one of the last ones to arrive. Not many had joined the pack, only family resided here, which was fine with her. She would smile, moving to bump her shoulder against her brothers. She would smile up at him before turning to Alamea. "Hello." She would smile at the ivory woman, despite being her brothers mate, she had yet to really get to know the woman, much to her dismay. Perhaps later they could get to know each other better. Dark haunches would recline, her eyes scanning to see if her boys would be joining them. She would smile warming at her niece and nephew, Warja being the one to summon them all here. Settling in, she would wait for her niece to being speaking. Talk like this

Dusk was upon the land by the time her family gathered. Almost all of them were there, save for Keiki, who was still sick, and Maia's boys, which Warja didn't mind since she wasn't too sure they'd be of much help. although if they decided to show it would be a good lesson for them. "Alright," It felt weird to command the attention of her family, but at the same time it was oddly fulfilling. It felt good to flex her bossy muscles. "There's a herd of horses resting not far from here. They're tired--I've been keeping them moving for awhile now--and I think they've decided to rest for the night. There are a number of weaker animals to choose from, but one injured mare in particular has been lagging far behind for most of the evening." She paused to glance at the faces around her, seeking to sample their collective mood before continuing. This taking charge stuff was daunting. "I think we can take her." Speaking - -Thinking

Walk | Talk | Think

Oh. Yeah, his dad did have a point. Secretua was still tiny in comparison to its neighbors, so very small compared to the huge pack they had joined for a short while before it had crumbled away around them. And knowing his dad and how paranoid he tended to be about trusting others he doubted they would end up getting to that might any time at all in the future. Eirik lowered his pink gaze with a little lean of his dark-tipped ears, feeling once again foolish in the eyes of his father. When would he ever stop feeling like such an ignorant child around him?

The arrival of his mother seemed to smooth everything over. His rosy gaze sought hers out with a smile as she came to stand beside his father, grateful to have her kindness and warmth there to counter Rune's cold discipline. It still surprised him at times that two wolves who could not possibly be any more different had managed to find each other and start a relationship, let alone one that worked.

Aunt Maia arrived with a quiet hello and though he was still getting used to having the dark woman around Eirik inclined his head politely to her presence there with them. Where are the kids? he wondered, allowing his gaze to shift from those present to glance around curiously. He would not have put it past them to wander at the edges of the hunt and watch from afar knowing how nosy they tended to be. Not to mention Amar's tendency to find trouble as he recalled from their time on the Range.

Warja called them all to attention with a single word, and allowing is gaze to settle back over her the large grey youth listened intently as she explained the situation to them all. Horses? That as certainly different. The plan seemed sound, or at least to his untrained eye, and with questioning glances Eirik shifted his attention toward his father and mother, wondering what their input was going to be.

Walk | Talk | Think An ear turned, the only sign of acknowledgement that his mate had joined them, as he addressed his children, and when he finished speaking he glance at her as she came to stop there at his side, offering her a look that was full of his own brand of subdued happiness. Here they were, nearly the whole family gathered for their first hunt as a pack. Not even just as a family group, but an actual legitimate pack. Having them all here, gathered to begin their lives in their new positions, Rune felt proud. This, moments like these, where they could do things together without the worry of encroaching on other, was what he had been striving for. The only thing that could have made it all better was to have Keiki there, his little miniature, well and smiling as she so often was. He was quite ready to assume just his family would be the ones to show when Maia arrived as well, offering her greeting to his mate and children and a bump against the shoulder for him. Rune glanced at her with something that was almost a smirk, murmuring quietly, "Glad you could make it." Briefly he wondered where it was she had stashed the kids while she was away and, more importantly, if they would still be there when the hunt was over. With the whole of them gathered, Warja called them all to attention and Rune fell silent as he listened, surprised to hear the detail that had gone into his daughter's planning but understanding as she described it how good their chances were. The herd was tired, the mare in question injured, and between the five of them he felt confident they had a decent enough force behind them to bring her down. "It's a sound plan to me," he remarked, glancing briefly at Alamea considering she had once held a hunter's rank too. "She should be easy to separate from the herd if she's injured. We're practically guaranteed a meal after this." OOC: -is a bad alpha for taking so long to reply- x__x; My bad, guys.