Brandr crouched in the snow at the edge of the plains, watching the gargantuan creatures moving across the plains. Their hairy trunks sifted through the snow, tusks occasionally pushing through larger drifts. Brandr had never seen anything so large. They were eating vegetation and in his mind that made them prey but they easily dwarfed a bison. Could something so large really be taken down? He was game to try but it would require a large hunting party, bigger than any they'd had before.

He slipped back into the thicket and when he arrived at the clearing he howled for the pack. Mainly the hunters but they'd likely need more than the regular hunting party to take this beast down and so the call included the whole of Abaven.

Lyric was nearby getting his herb stores in his then at date. He wanted to be ready for everything, for anything that could happen. He wasnt the master yet but he felt either way like helping anyone. So we'll be was there with Lola helping him. The snow fell outside of his den, and it was cold even though it was supposed to be spring. But it seemed winter decided to stay longer. There is when he heard a call, hunting. He wants a hunter by any means but he felt curious to see. And like that the Destruction rushed their way. As he arrived he saw Brandt there, but not only him. Huge woody creatures too. He felt impressed by the size of that. Calmly he stood by the older wolf's side. He would help bringing that thing down. He was a healer but it didn't mean he could not help. "Speech"

Twig buried herself into the duties of the pack, that and finding joy in little Soul. She didn’t forget her loss, not at all, Twig felt like she grieved every day. She just had to keep going. The days were getting easier now, keeping a routine helped to keep everything on track. Having Corvus beside her was the key to her success. She held tightly to him and she knew that everything would be okay. Twig eagerly answered Brandr’s call, the pack could always use more food. The last hunt she’d attended…

Twig shook her head as her small frame carried her closer to where the hunting party began. Her not so little anymore, nephew already stood at Brandr’s side. Twig offered a small smile to both as she took her place, eager to defer to their master hunter if he was really going after those mammoth beasts.

He was never one to turn down a hunt so when he heard a call coming from the Thicket he was quick to join in. The fact that he was calling for more than just hunters made him curious about what they could possibly be going after. It must be something pretty large or imposing, that seemed easy enough to guess. There were just a few gathered so far, but he was eager to distract himself with a good hunt. It was always easier to put his own issues to the side when he had some sort of task to keep him busy so this seemed like just the ticket to fill his day. He gave Brandr, Lyric, and Twig a smile before settling on his haunches to wait for more pack members to join them. He hoped that some of his children would come along as well. He knew at least Balthier and Psalm would probably be interested and it was sure to be a good learning experience for them both.

Walk | "Talk" | think

Balthier was quick to come to the call, if anything he would have been happy to watch and learn if he wasn't entirely useful. But he was definitely hoping he could be a lot more help than sitting and watching. He came to the group of wolves, coming along side his father who he hadn't quite grown into par with just yet. He gave his father a wag of his tail and a smile before putting his focus on Brandr who he had actually already met prior. That made him feel a little better. He still felt like a stranger inside Abaven lands, save for poem and her family as well as his own. He was ready to start and help with the task at hand, no matter what it was. Walk "Talk" Think

The call rose, and naturally Satire was one to answer. She was still quite displeased that there was all this snow about, but there was only so much she could do about it. She quickly made her way over the frigid terrain. When she arrived, many were already there. She didn’t see any of her siblings there, so she simply lingered towards the outskirts of the meeting that had been called. She saw the massive creatures, her eyes widening. That creature was so big, in fact, it was so much bigger than both her mama and papa combined. Her heart started racing.

“Are we gonna try and take that thing down?” She asked in a hushed tone, unsure if she should be keeping her voice down or if a normal tone was acceptable given their distances from the creature. What if the massive beast had some kind of super hearing? Then they would surely be done for. This was one of the reasons she loved the hunt, taking down another creature, knowing she’d had the skills to outsmart it and continue to feed the pack. Her tail wagged eagerly in the process.

Speech

Things hadn't exactly gone great since they returned from the Hallows, her mind was a mess and Psalm was a little desperate to distract herself. So when the call had gone up she was already on her way over, though she meandered a bit, unsure if they even wanted a young pup to join in, but when she picked up her brother's and father's scent's as well. So she slid up beside them, pressing into her father's leg as was her habit, her gaze turned towards the giant thing lumbering around and she glanced up at her father, she was already starting to become aware of how much something so big would help the pack, they had many mouths to feed, especially young mouths. So they were going to hunt it... right? She glanced at her younger cousin as she voiced the same question Psalm had and turned to look up at her father than the older man that had seemingly called them all together. "Speech"

Art by SardonicCitrus

Shae had been stalking Balthier when the call rang out, the tiny girl was swift to answer and follow after the older boy. She half tripped over her big paws and half ran after the rest of the pack as they gathered in the shadows of the massive beasts. Blue and lavender eyes widened in surprise and wonder at the incredible creatures. She wondered if their Papa had seen these kinds of things from his home. He did mention how scary far north he was from before finding Mama. Even with the massive beasts in her gaze she didn’t forget what she had been doing. Before she could disturb the gathering Shae raced into the clearing, her arms open wide as she aimed to tackle Balthier. Catching him at the meeting or no she had stalked and hunted him! ”Gotcha!” She announced her victory before she could even wrap her arms around him.

Sen felt like he had been a child for so long. He was finally coming into adulthood, and had a lot to prove. He wanted to be a part of things, to learn, and prove his worth. He still didn’t know what he wanted out of life. What or who he wanted to be, and where he wanted to do it.

When a call rang out, offering a challenge to hunters and pack members alike, he raised his head and listened to the call. Falling into a light trot, he would find he was far from the only person to answer. Many Abaven wolves had assembled where Brandr had called. He stood a little apart, noticing his immediate family wasn’t in the bunch that had arrived. After a moment, he shrugged, and then made his way beside Brandr, so he could hear any instructions that might be given.

it was time. Time for her to give back. And what better way than to answer the call of a fellow pack member asking for hunters. That was not a task she specialized in, but she was an extra body. The thought of being around a large group, no matter how friendly, set the woman's heart racing, but she pushed herself forward anyway. She had felt a sense of security and calm that she lacked for so long within Abaven's borders, so it was only fair that she help in this mammoth task as best she could.

When she arrived, there was already quite the group already. Names and faces still were fuzzy to her, but she offered anyone who looked her way a thin smile. She was extremely appreciative of Abaven, and hoped she could give something in return. She had not laid eyes on the giant beasts rumored to be roaming about, but she had no doubt as to the difficulty ahead of them. Dual colored eyes found the one that had summoned them, and she waited patiently on the edge of the gathering.

Excitement buzzed like electricity within the boy when he heard the call ring out. A glance around was all it took before he bolted for the source, pink tongue lolling from his grinning maw. A hunt! A hunt! And he was going! Awkwardly large paws thundered on the snow as he ran, panting breath hanging like fog. He wanted to be the first of his siblings to arrive! But as soon as he neared the clearing, it was obvious he was not. Disappointment made his pace slow, ears drooping for a split second, but he quickly got over it.

Poet glanced around and spied a couple sisters, and heard one ask a quiet question. He sauntered up to Satire, bumping into his sister with his shoulder. "Yeah we are!!" he answered in a coarse whisper, grinning from ear to ear. What he thought he could help with for the hunt was unknown, but boy was he so excited to be there. He looked around the gathering once more, tail wagging furiously. When were they gonna go?!

The creatures that had sudden appeared in Abaven's lands didn't go unnoticed for long. Fortunately they were a distraction from his own thoughts and grief that he'd been working through. Creatures this large could prove a threat to his loved ones... couldn't they? They moved fairly slowly and seemed disinterested in the wolves that roamed here, but then again they didn't seem to be used to this place at all. It was quite possible they had yet to notice them at all. Corvus was curious but admittedly worried about how on earth they'd take these beasts down, but as a group surely they could figure out something? He wasn't sure how it would go but was eager to join the others when Brandr called for them to gather. He loped across the plains and toward the thicket, veering a wide path around the beasts and coming up to the group. He moved to sit beside Twig and wait for further instructions. A lot of pups were here, something that worried him slightly, but he had to hope Brandr had a good plan that wouldn't put anyone in danger, especially them.

He heard a call for a hunt, and he wondered if it was for one of those huge hairy creatures he'd been seeing around! Excitement swam through him, and the youth raced towards the gathering. He scented his father and his siblings, his excitement increasing at the thought of getting to hunt with them as well as what seemed like the whole pack! As he approached the gathered wolves, he spotted his family first and headed over. On his way though, he saw Corvus and gave him a quick greeting before bounding towards his siblings. Hiya guys!" His tail wagged excitedly as he was hardly able to keep still. Though they were young, he hoped they'd still be allowed to help. After all, he realized there were a ton of other pups here and he hadn't really noticed that before! He would definitely have to get to know some of them so he'd have more adventure buddies! "Speech"

The wolves of Abaven answered his call one by one, including some of their younger members. Brandr's first instinct was to turn the pups away. Hunting such large, and little known creatures would be dangerous and he didn't want them to be hurt. However, that said, this could be a once in a life time opportunity and if anything the pups could come along to learn. He looked to Satire and nodded. "Yes, I would like to try." More wolves trickled in and soon it was time for him to address the group. He'd thought awhile on what would be the best course of action and he had a few ideas. He would look to his pack mates to help decide the best way to approach this hunt.

"Thank you everyone for coming. If you look out across the plains you'll notice the large beasts moving through our territory. I have observed them for some time and they seem to eat a diet similar to the bison. I believe they could be prey if we can manage to fell one. The question is, how?" It was difficult to say as he had only observed them for a short time. He did not know their temperament.

"I think we can approach this like hunting for bison but with a twist. If we can get the beasts to stampede southward we can hopefully drive one over the Moontouched Cliffs." The cliffs were known for breaking off suddenly and if the creatures did not know of the drop off they could easily fall victim to it. "The fall should wound it enough for us to finish it off in the sands of the bay. We can then feast and process the meat accordingly. Does anyone else have any thoughts or suggestions to share? I will say, I would like those under six months of age to be extremely careful and keep a good distance. You can run along with us to make our numbers seem larger and frighten them but please don't get too close."

He was proud of his children as Balthier, Solo, and Psalm all came to join in on the hunt. He knew this was a pretty large and dangerous hunt for them to partake in, but it was a learning opportunity that he didn’t want them to miss out on. He gave each of his children a grin and leaned over to press his nose to each of their cheeks. He felt bad about Forte continuing to miss out on these moments and he could only hope that she would fully recover soon. It no longer seemed life threatening so his worry had lessened, but he was sure that a father’s worry never really went away.

When Brandr began to speak, he returned his attention to the male again, nodding quietly as the potential plan was laid out for them. It seemed like a sound plan to him at least, but as he watched the massive beasts move in the distance he had to wonder how responsive they would be to wolves that were far smaller in comparison - even if there were a lot of them. ”We’ll probably need a plan of some kind to get them moving,” he mentioned as he brought his attention back to Brandr. ”Something tells me they’re not going to pay much mind to us when they could squish us pretty easily.”

Walk | "Talk" | think

Balthier would give a smile as Psalm joined, he was happy to see his immediate family joining in together. He hoped Solo would be able to make it too. He wasn't expecting Forte to, however. He wouldn't be expecting to be jumped up on from behind, but he wouldn't show any kind of defensive alarm. When he realized it was Shae, he would lightly move her off of him, more so in a way to make her think she was too strong for him. It was a joke on his end, but he figured it would help boost her young ego. "Shh, you need to listen to what Brandr has to say." He spoke with a gentle chuckle. His attention turned to the hunter until his brother arrived and he gave the same greeting grin he gave Psalm. Being young and mostly inexperienced, he didn't really have any advice in mind. His gaze moved to his father as he spoke, but he still waited patiently for the fuller plan to be discussed. He knew the best he could do was help with the difficult hunt, and he also wanted to prove himself to his father. Not that he needed to. Walk "Talk" Think

Twig smiled softly as Corvus made his way over to sit beside her. She felt like they were still in mourning, though it was mostly alone. The woman felt the same as her mate, she never wanted to bring down anyone because of what happened to her. She was working through the feelings of guilt that were slowly shifting to acceptance. A projet like this, a literal massive task, was exactly what she needed to help return to normal. She leaned against Corvus lightly as Brandr began the meeting. Her caramel ears perked at his voice as he addressed all of them.

His suggestion made sense to Twig, something as big as these mammoth creatures would need extra effort to bring down. They were dangerous no matter how you looked at it, especially with those huge feet. One wrong move and Abaven would lose one of their beloved members. Twig couldn’t argue with Allegro as he spoke, and instead nodded along. All they had to do was spook one to get the herd moving, at least that was what it seemed like with the Bison.

Shae did indeed manage to tackle the boy who she adored so much. He almost went down too, and as though she weighed as much as her father himself Balthier struggled to get her off of him. His voice was calm and mature, especially compared to Shae’s shenanigans. Dual toned eyes looked up to her other siblings, both seeming to settle in to listening much better than she did. Shae leaned against Balthier and did as he said, her dark ears lifted to listen to Brandr as he spoke. She didn’t miss the end where he specifically told the younger pups to stay back, she was a little disappointed but honestly was too scared of the beasts to want to approach them anyway. This was it, the moment of truth. Shae felt the excitement build inside her tiny body, enough that her paws began to shuffle and she could hardly keep herself at attention.

Satire was mesmerized by the creature, and a wide grin split her features at the mention of trying to hunt one. The adults started to talk, or at least wolves older than her started to talk and she simply listened. She didn’t know if she had the experience to really contribute to the conversation too much. It seemed less like a hunt and more like a fight because of how big the creature was. Driving it over a cliff seemed plausible, but how did they get the creatures to move in the first place? She was told to keep a distance and she frowned. She didn’t want to! She wanted to help!

“Maybe noise?” She piped up. “They might be spooked by loud noises like smaller prey is.” She suggested, though really she had no idea what she was saying. She was just throwing things at the wall and hoping it all stuck.

Speech

More and more wolves gathered, and Poetry was getting quite excited. The air was buzzing with anticipation and excitement about the hunt. The youngsters might even be the most excited of all. He looked toward Shae and Satire, grinning from ear to ear with his little tail flying behind him. When the man who called them began to speak, Poetry made sure to stay as quiet as he could, listening to what they would be doing. When Brandr mentioned that the youngest of the group should stay behind and not truly engage, Poetry nearly fell to the ground in disappointment. He grumbled as loudly as he dared, a front paw stomping in annoyance. They could be useful! They were hunters! Suddenly, his sister beside him spoke up, and his disappointment evaporated quickly.

"I can be real loud! Promise! Momma and Da are always telling me to be quiet!" He looked up to the adults with a hopeful grin, wanting to badly to be included.