Álarr had intended to take stock of the grazing grounds in the Knolls. With cold weather still clinging to the land it was necessary to assess the health of the herds grazing grounds, not only their domestic animals but the bison as well. However, when he arrived at the knolls he was surprised to see strange, massive creatures he'd never seen before grazing on the knolls. The were huge and hairy with giant tusks and long noses that stretched all the way to the ground. He didn't know what to make of them but he was curious to see if anyone was interested in trying to hunt the beasts.

He moved back toward the border of the knolls with the range and howled a loud call to see if anyone was interested.

Dagrún had been sticking around Fireside since winter had arrived. The chill of spring continued to keep her close to home. Besides there wasn't anything in particular she needed to do outside of pack lands as she was focusing on her training. She was nearly a year old and eager to move into the ranks of Fireside's warriors. She didn't know yet if she'd seek to be a raider or a guard but she knew she wanted one of those ranks and she'd been working hard to make an impression on the alpha. There was no way he could deny her! She was on her way to find someone to spar with when she heard Álarr calling for the pack. It sounded like a hunt and she bounded toward the call. A hunt was as good of exercise as any and she felt she was definitely old enough to participate.

Although Ares wasn't a member of the pack anymore, he'd been sticking close when he wasn't out tramping around. He'd been sticking around more the last couple of seasons due to the weather, and especially the whole of spring with it being all stupidly cold and stuff. Not only was it ridiculously cold, but a whole new blend of otherworldly creatures began showing up! He'd gotten in a few scraps with some already. Sometimes he got his ass handed to him, and other times he managed to prevail against them, but man was it hard! One thing he hadn't tackled on his own so far was one of the big giant wooly creatures with the long nose. Lucky for him, Fireside was about to check that off his list! With a grin, he headed in towards Alarr and Dagrun and gave each of them a nod. "Yo, mind if I help?!"

"Speech"

Sparrow was already on her way to tell Tyr and all about the big ass beasties she had seen when Alarr's call filled her ears. It was her OTHER fave uncle and she was all here for whatever he had planned. Sparrow sent a short howl out for the pirates- change of plan, they were gonna team up with Fireside. Sparrow bumbled in all jolly with her spears and whatever else Friar decided to drag along. If he hadn't been over there looking all official, Sparrow might have run up to Alarr and given him a nice slobbery kiss along his forehead, just to show how much she missed him. Alas, she held back and opted for an upward jerk of her head and a lopsided smile as she waited for his instruction.

Ashmedai had been doing a whole lot of not a whole lot lately. He had been in talks about retiring his position and all, but he was kinda waiting on a youngster to come and challenge him for it. They hadn't, yet, so he held onto it more as a formality than anything. However, when Alarr called for a hunt, he thought it might just be good to go get himself into a little trouble. Or a big trouble. He wasn't entirely sure yet. He took a good long while to stretch himself out and headed towards the call. There was already a good little gathering there so Ash moseyed himself on in and settled beside his daughter. "Alright, what's up?"

It was hard to shake the feeling that these monstrous beasts weren't some kind of creatures sent down from the gods themselves. In her old age Ásvor didn't spend much time thinking about such things, not as much as she once might've at least. Now she was more apt to think about things much closer to home - her wife and her son were always at the forefront of her mind - though lately she'd been thinking about the future, mostly her son's. Life overall was relatively unremarkable lately, in the best possible way, which was why she was so caught off-guard by the sudden, massive beasts suddenly appeared. They seemed to keep their distance but she was fascinated nonetheless. They were larger than anything she'd ever seen by far, almost impossibly so. Taking one down seemed an impossibility, but..

If anyone was going to try, it would be Fireside, wouldn't it? And even with her age she didn't feel inclined to sit this one out, strange as it might be. She wondered if Valdis would join her but she knew she didn't want to miss out. It might proven a dangerous hunt but she still had her wits about her and wouldn't recklessly throw herself into danger for no reason. Ásvor was hardly worried. She came quickly to Alarr's call, as quickly as she was able, before settling down and waiting to hear the plan. Some hunts could run off pure instinct and coordination but something like this definitely required a plan, and she was interested to see how she fit into the picture with her skills.

Hyacinth was more than happy to lounge around, at least as much as Sparrow would allow, but he was also eager to prove himself, a holdover from his daddy issues. He wasn't just going to let himself be lazy, much as he might want to. So Sparrow's call piqued his interest, the last time he'd responded to her it had been a pretty good party. Though he doubted she'd constantly be getting them invited to parties he figured keeping in her good graces was likely to get him invited whenever she did at least. So the man sauntered in towards the group, not exactly behind his king but clearly with her regardless as he came to rest at her side, slightly behind her. He scanned the crowd, not really sure who here might have even called for them, then shrugged and settled onto his haunches to wait for whoever was in charge here to start talking. He was clearly comfortable and maybe even a little too informal in his posture but he figured if he needed to scrape and bow he'd find out soon enough. "Talk" "Listen" Think

It had been a hard season. And although Cloud was a seasoned hunter, it was difficult to catch larger game on his own. He had noticed the usual migration patterns and the usual game trails he was used to, had changed since Winter. More than likely, it had to do with the giant wolves and strange creatures that had come from the North. His Osprey clung to his back as they navigated the southern lands, though it seemed no matter how far south he went, snow still clung stubbornly to the lands. "How much longer do you think it'll be like this?" He murmured to the osprey who clung to the cloak on his back. "Not much longer, I hope. It's been far too hard to fly the way I'd like with all these blizzards, storms, and the constant snowfall..." She ruffled her feathers with an annoyed chirp as the pair continued on. As he neared the borders of one of the packs, he heard the trumpet of one of the giant woolly creatures, and shortly after, he heard the familiar call for a hunt. He paused for a moment, turning his attention in the direction of the call. It sounded like it had come from the pack he knew to be Fireside...though perhaps it was closer to the border? He hoped, anyway. Even if it wasn't, he wondered if they would allow him to help. It had been quite a while since he hunted with a pack...though if he could show them he was more than capable, perhaps they wouldn't mind him helping out. He headed towards them, noticing a small group of what seemed to be pack wolves, though certainly not enough to take down one of the giant, lumbering beasts. "Do you mind if I help? All I ask is just a couple cuts of meat, looks like there'd be plenty to go around." Was that bold of him? Yes. For him, anyway. But those creatures were huge, and there was certainly more than enough for even the pack itself. Walk, "Talk" Think

Torrent had been doing a lot of thinking lately. Since the raid, she'd been able to do little else while she waited for the wounds on her face to finish healing. She'd been thinking about the raid itself, and the possibility of retaliation from Ashen or one of their allied packs, and while she was eager for it, she also had a close view of her elder brother's children running around the pack, and the realization that her littermates were old enough now for children of their own, children who would be at risk in a raid on Fireside. It cooled her ardor for retaliation a little, to think of future nieces and nephews hurt or killed before they were grown because a pack had been offended that they'd been attacked. She certainly didn't want to stop raiding, though... if anything, she wanted it more than ever after the fight that left her scarred. She just needed to consider... alternative methods.

This thinking and healing had occupied most of her time lately, but now that she was healed she was ready to step back into a more acrive role again. So, when Alarr called for the pack, she answered. Of course, having been somewhat out of touch while she healed, she didn't know Sparrow's bandmates, and the sight and smell of strangers made her bristle and stare narrow eyed as she stalked into their midst. If it weren't for Sparrow's scent marking them as hers she might well have bitten first and asked questions later, but was saved from the awkwardness that would have caused her brother and her cousin by that very fact. The loner she could only have assumed was another of Sparrow's merry band, so he too received only a gimlet stare before she alipped up to Alarr and turned an interrogative look upon him, waiting to take her cue from his behavior.

The young Finnvi had been stalking a scent she had never smelled before - like a bear, but not like the normal bears that were found around Fireside - when her uncle Alarr called for the pack. She was not yet a yearling, so perhaps he hadn't had them in mind when he called, but it never occurred to Katja to think of herself as a pup. She was quick to abandon her search (after memorizing the location of the trace to find again) and follow the call to the group assembling there. She inclined her head coolly but respectfully towards her uncle, and moved to stand beside her sister.

A number of wolves trickled in, Fireside and pirate alike as well as a loner he wasn't familiar with. He nodded to Ares as well as the loner. He was happy to have an extra set of fangs for this hunt. "Thanks for coming everyone. I noticed a curious herbivore moving through the knolls. They're massive, easily bigger than a bison and if we can kill one we'd all be well fed. Not to mention this should just be fun. I hate to pass up the chance to at least try." Maybe something good and useful had come down out of the north and not just beasts that seemed pleased to invade and kill. The thing was, Álarr was not a trained hunter. He knew how to hunt of course but wasn't the most qualified. Still, he'd try to come up with a strategy and rely on his fellows to plan this endeavor.

"They're far to big to reach the throat, even with a leap. While some of our clawed members might be able to climb them their trunks seem flexible and capable of picking off pests. Ideally I'd like gravity to do some of the work but I'm not sure the best way to trip them. We could try running them out into the veteran's plateau where they'd be more likely to step on or trip on something.

"My other thought would be having our clawed members climb up and do as much damage as possible while the ground troops take care of the trunk and try not to get squished. What else? I need ideas. Hunting large game is a bit out of my realm of expertise."

Sparrow was happy to see the number of wolves coming together and at least one other pirate. Where were the rest of her lazybones crew? She promised them fights and glory and this was bound to be one of those times. In the end, there were enough others anyway, so Sparrow guessed she wouldn't make a huge deal of it this time.

Alarr explained his ideas and that he had seen the same creature she had earlier. So they really WEREN'T some drug hallucination. That was at least good. He gave suggestions that the clawed members climb, but to watch for the trunk and Sparrow nodded sagely as if she had any idea. She assumed the rest of them here were just guessing as well, no way anyone had hunted one of these guys before, right? He said he needed ideas. Hmm.

"I have no problem climbing onto its back and anchoring myself with my leg blades like a tick on a mutt. Now, I THINK they could probably mash us with their giant ass feet, so I think this will probably be more of a stamina game than a fighting one, unfortunately. If it can breathe from the long nose thing, then water won't help, but what about a cliff? Or difficult terrain? Surely that thing cant jump well or do pinpoint navigation... Probably."

Ashmedai wasn't too busy paying attention to who came or went, but he did perk up when Alarr started talking. It sounded interesting enough, and he was game for it, so he figured why not. Alarr gave some suggestions, then Sparrow. Honestly, Ashmedai wasn't some super keen hunter and he was happy to just pick off whatever was here or there. He waited a moment after Sparrow spoke to give his own ideas.

"What about weapons? Something we can- I dunno- launch at the big guy without getting too close to those stompers of his. Enough of those ought to slow it down or bleed it out- then it's just a tracking game after that."

It wasn't some huge revelation or anything, but he agreed hunting this like some deer was probably a mistake.

Neither Valdis nor Ulfr arrived, though Asvor tended to favor keeping her son out of danger's way - not that he was much of a child any longer. And though he hardly needed his parents anymore, that didn't mean the thought of both her and Valdis getting gravely injured on this hunt didn't unsettle her deeply. She doubted she'd end up too hurt, at least Valdis would be around to guide Ulfr through his early adulthood. Her thoughts were not morbid, cynical ones - she was simply being practical. But she paid little mind to those thoughts, shifting her attention quickly to Alarr as he spoke about their impending hunt.

She agreed it was a challenge worth tackling, and she nodded along with his speech. "I like Ash's idea of using weapons," she spoke up quickly. "Perhaps I could even concoct a type of poison to combine with some type of weapon - that might help. I can't imagine it'd be possible for me to find a dose that could incapacitate them by any means, but perhaps something that could cause enough pain to distract them as we strike?" Already the possibilities were brewing in her mind. A smaller prey animal would be far easier to poison but she'd have to be crafty with this hunt.

It seemed he was the only pirate to come at their king's call, doing his best to keep his expression neutral as that notion stuck him. Hyacinth cared mostly that it seemed his siblings were once again off to parts of the world unknown. He did his best to shrug that off though, it wasn't like he was particularly reliable to always be found. He listened carefully as ideas were tossed around, for all his bluster he was not a skilled hunter and so didn't have much to add but one particular worry did cross his mind. "If we manage to topple these things wouldn't it potentially mean anyone on them could potentially get pinned?" Not that he doubted Sparrow's abilities, but rather he'd rather just avoid having to take one of the massive animals apart to free someone. "Talk" "Listen" Think

Dagrún listened with interest as Álarr talked about hunting one of those large things. She stared at him like he'd grown a third horn. They were going to hunt those giant things? Why? She didn't question it and instead tried to think of it as a challenge. Helping to take down one of those things would certainly impress her parents. "I can climb up them for sure!" She declared. She glanced over at the bright colored wolf as he mentioned that they might get squished. Oh. Yea getting squished was no good but she felt so confident in her youth she shook her head. "No way, I'm too fast. I'll just climb out of the way… or I guess leap off if I had too."

Katja cocked her head and watched as the others came up with plans and ideas. As one of the few with no mutations, no real interest in hunting, and little experience working with a group outside of her own litter she would likely be of the least use for anything except as a distraction. "What about a trap?" she queried in a lull. "Something we could drive it towards that would injure it. A pit or something, enough for it to step in and break a leg, or get a spear through the foot. Or something we could... drop on it? Or roll something heavy down one of the hills to slam into it?" She wasn't particularly attached to any of those ideas, which did seem needlessly complicated and difficult to accomplish even to her, but she shrugged indifferently. It wasn't as though her opinion would carry a great deal of weight in the present company anyway, since they were all much older.

Torrent listened as Alarr detailed their mission, and everyone began to speak up with ideas. Not being either a clawed wonder, nor particularly craft-inclined, and certainly not a hunter, she had little to add to the conversation except a sour grunt when Asvor mentioned poisons. "If we're eating these things let's not poison ourselves along with them," she objected, then got up to pace. "If it's a stamina game we really just need to do one massive attack and let them run themselves to death, don't we? Are they armored, or just big? If we disembowel them they won't be going far without dragging their guts all over the plains and if they go to bay they'll bleed out and die anyway." She bared her great fangs in an anticipatory, and predatory, grin that was at least half snarl. It pulled at her healing scars, but she ignored it. "I have no problem with getting in there and getting it done if you lot distract it with your climbing and... rock chucking or whatever." She rolled her shoulders, chimeric eyes distant as she was already focusing on the fight to come. While, sure, the possibility of being stomped was certainly there, she also clearly didn't care, and relished the opportunity to throw herself into Death's realm and challenge Her.

He listened to the wolves as they put out their suggestions on hunting one down. How to slow it. Incapacitate it. He remained quiet, hearing the idea of the wolves with claws ought to climb on their backs and do as much damage as was possible. It wasn't a bad plan. He just worried that that plan might agitate the beast more than anything, but he couldn't say for sure since he had never hunted something like it before. "These plans aren't bad at all, though might I suggest something like a trip line? I'm a seasoned hunter. I've used traps of many kinds and I find nets and trip lines work well for slowing down larger prey." He felt a bit out of place among these wolves as they all seemed to know each other, while he appeared to be an outsider. But his knowledge in hunting might prove fruitful in their endeavor to bring down one of these large beasts. "Speak"||Osprey

He sat back, lazily scratching an ear as Alarr and the rest of them talked among themselves. Debating plans and all manner of things they could potentially do to try and bring one down. These things were massive, and he wasn't sure what he could suggest that would help with bringing one down that hadn't already been mentioned, but traps and spears sounded good. "Take out the feet, and it won't be able to go far. It'll come crashin' down pretty quick. I'm down to help make and chuck spears at 'em, but tripping them and digging holes doesn't sound half bad, either." He sniffed and flashed a grin as he waited for the majority to make a decision.

"Speech"