He hadn't been sure what to make the target of their hunt when he was given the task of leading a pack hunt to prepare for their winter feast, but he had his answer in the form of a group of surprisingly massive creatures that he had spotted while out scouting Auster with his father. The giraffes were incredibly tall and he knew they'd need a lot of wolves to bring it down, but now that Artorias was back from his training and once he got his father on board with joining in on the hunt he felt like they might actually have a chance of doing it. He led the group down to the southern half of Auster, he and his dad both bringing an empty cart with them so they could load up the meat on it to carry back. With as big as these things were he knew they couldn't just carry the whole animal back so they'd have to butcher it and bring it with them this way. He also brought some things that he thought they might use to help bring it down like some ropes and spears, but he was going to let the group get a look at them first before they decided a plan of action.

He stopped them toward the edge of the grove of tall, spindly trees and was glad to see that the giraffes were still around, the long necked creatures nibbling leaves from the tops of these unusual trees. They were nearly on the other side of the grove so he wasn't too worried about being spotted by them from here so they had a moment to plan out what they were going to do. He slipped off the cart and left it beside the one his dad brought as he gathered everyone around him to talk it out. "Those are what I was talking about," he said with a grin, lifting a speckled paw to point them out. "I figured if we brought down a mammoth we could probably bring down one of those. I think we'll just have to be careful when it comes down so we don't get squished under it. Anyone have any ideas they think will work?"

Ezra Adravendi

Artorias hadn't been home long before Ulric brought him up to speed on what he'd missed. The Hallows was in the midst of preparing for their Feast of Unity, and everyone had a role and a job to perform. Artorias was still amazed it had already been a year since they'd moved from Boreas to Auster; where had the time gone? He was keen to give Ezra and his hunting party a hand, glad to spend time with his best friend once more. So when Ezra had returned to the castle and brought news of these giant spotted camel-like creatures with impossibly long necks, well, Artorias just had to see what he was on about!

They found the giraffes down in southern Auster, grazing on some of the taller trees. They didn't look nearly as imposing as the mammoth they'd hunted, and certainly seemed much more frail with those stilts for legs. The animals appeared pretty top heavy... perhaps they'd be easier to topple? "Other than the hooves, their legs look pretty vulnerable and unguarded," said Artorias. "I could try slicing a leg out from under one with my sword. If we cripple it, it can't run, and then we can just bleed it out until it's dead." It was a pretty basic strategy, but he didn't think he'd have any issues cleaving one of those skinny legs. Then the pack could do what they do best.

"Artorias Sirius Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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It had been a couple of seasons since they had a feast or festival of any sort, but with much of a good majority of their strife behind them he thought it was time to really celebrate. It was the one year anniversary of the pack's big move and it seemed like the perfect time to jump back into the swing of things. He was glad to see the Templars and Seneschals taking the assignment of preparing for the upcoming feast seriously and he was especially proud of his son for finding something interesting for them to hunt. He decided he'd be the most help with the hunting party since he couldn't imagine he'd be very good at assembling delicate, decorative things and he'd certainly just get in the way while collecting herbs and flowers.

Once they reached the destination Ezra had in mind, he spotted the exceedingly tall, spotted creatures that he had described and he blinked with surprise when he saw them in the distance. Artorias' assessment that the legs were the thing to go for certainly wasn't a bad one, but he had a hunch that they might be more difficult than that to bring down. "Just accounting for perspective here, but I'm wondering if you'd be able to reach a joint or anything tender enough to actually make it fall. And even if you can I'd worry about you getting that close. Something with legs that long certainly has a big range to kick with too," he mused. "My first thought is to tie some of these ropes between two trees and then get one of them running toward them to trip it."

Ulric Adravendi

Jane was excited as this would be her first hunt ever, and a major one. She was aware she didn't join the mammoth one when they came around. And for that today she wanted to compensate it with Giraffes. She watched them in silence as she didnt know what to do, or how to start. She was new in all the things regarding of hunting, and she wanted to learn from this one with her father and brother, and Art too! She was ready to help and as she heard their ideas she didnt know how to add to the matter. "What would you all want me to do?" She asked wanting to get involved into the hunt. "Talk"

Eska was a little late to the party simply because she'd been busy. She and the dogs had caught the scent of another predator nearby and altered their course to investigate. The scent of lesser canine had faded and it seemed that they had just been cutting through the corner of Hallows land to get elsewhere. The woman made no move to chase them and instead corrected their course to join up with the hunt. Coming up behind the group, the woman's sulfur eyes took a quick assessment of the creatures below. Legs for days. Spindly ones at that. She'd just caught the tail end of Ulric's suggestion. Casting a smile to Jane as she asked what to do, Eska gave her own input. "The legs will definitely be their weak point." Scanning the area for a suitable place, the silvered fae motioned to two trees with a point of her muzzle. "If we tie off a trip line there, it will be easy to herd the beasts through. Their legs are so long, that once they're down, we'll make easy work of them." Again she inspected the beasts, picturing in her minds eye just how they might run. "We'll just have to tie it high enough that they won't step over it." "Eska"

Kane had been assigned to the hunting party for the upcoming feast, and he could think of no better way to spend his time or skills than helping provide the food for the pack that had welcomed him in so readily. He had followed not too far behind, pausing in the nearby woods to gather some important herbs for his project, and then joining the group. There were six wolves including himself, and the creatures, though tall and lanky, seemed very docile and squishy. If they could topple one over, it would be a very easy kill, especially with a neck that long with plenty of lethal places to bite. He'd heard the end of Ulric's plan, then considered Eska's comments on needing to tie the tripwire high enough to catch the animal's legs. "Ulric, Ezra, and I are the tallest here. Two of us could start tying the line while the others get into position. Then when it hits, the two liners get it as soon as it hits the ground while the rest of the party catches up." That could work out nicely so long as the timing was all there.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Ezra appreciated that pretty much everyone had something to add to the plan and by the time they made their way around the group to Kane they had a pretty fleshed out plan in place. He grinned and nodded in agreement to all of it. "Sounds good! Kane and dad, why don't you two be the ones to tie the line and start the kill and the rest of us will go get one separated from the herd and drive it toward you." They were two of the biggest ones in the hunt and Kane's fangs looked like they'd be pretty good for biting through long spindly necks. Plus the rest of them - including himself - were on the lighter side so they'd be good for running and chasing. He reached into the cart and pulled out the coiled lengths of rope, handing them off to Kane and his dad before giving a nod to the rest of the group. "Alright! Lets do this!"

With that he led the chasers down into the grass lands that surrounded the trees the giraffes were eating from. "Jane and Art - you two go over on the other side of the herd, Eska stick with me. We'll come in from both sides to pin it in so we can herd it toward dad and Kane better," he whispered to them, hunkering down in the grass to wait for everyone to get into place. Now that they were up close it really did feel like the giraffes towered over them, but their legs did look like a major weak point to the massive creatures. He hoped that the four of them were going to be startling enough to get the thing moving toward their trap. He peeked over the top of the grass, looking out toward the pair of trees Eska had pointed out for their trip line, watching and waiting for the trap to be in place.

Ezra Adravendi

The plan was decided upon and finalized. They would attempt to trip one of the lanky-legged creatures and finish it off before it could get back to its feet. It was simple and straightforward. The group broke off, and Artorias followed Ezra's lead down to the grasslands where the herd of giraffes were grazing. As they drew nearer, Artorias was astounded by how tall the creatures were! They could easily reach the leaves at the tops of the trees, chomping lazily as if totally secure in the safety their height offered from the much smaller wolves. Ezra gave them directions, and nodding to Jane, he silently led the way the long way around to circle the herd. He found a position behind a thicket of brush and crouched low, peeking above the tops of the foliage to where Ezra's group lay in wait. As soon as he got the signal, he was ready to leap into action with Jane to make sure the herd moved in the direction of their trap.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Ulric was proud of how his son directed the group and took all their recommendations into the final plan he gave them. He took one of the long coils of rope from Ezra and waited till Kane had some as well before giving Ezra a nod and beginning to walk down to the pair of sturdy trees that Eska had pointed out before so that they could begin getting the trap into place. They were a little ways away from where the giraffes were grazing from the trees, but he still made sure to keep to the thicker parts of the grass and kept his voice down when he spoke to help keep himself concealed. Luckily the both of them were very neutrally colored and more easily hid in the slightly dried grasses than some. Once they made it down to the trees he got to work uncoiling the rope and picking places on the tree where they might be able to tie off their knots. "I'll hold the ropes up in place if you tie them?" he suggested quietly to Kane, wrapping the rope around the trunk a couple of times to make sure it had a good hold on the tree before holding it in place so that Kane could tie off the knot. They did this a few times, criss crossing the ropes between the two trees till there was a criss cross of them blocking the path between them. He peeked out over the empty space between the trees and where the giraffes still stood unaware and caught a glimpse of Ezra's speckled head peeking out of the brush. He waved his paw to let him know they were ready and then went to lay in wait with Kane for their prey to start moving.

Ulric Adravendi

Jane waited patiently until all the more experienced hunters have their ideas. As of now, Jane was an apprentice and she felt like she shouldn't gave input as she didn't know if her ideas would have the same importance as those of a better hunting skills. She may could give a wrong plan and she didn't want that. So she just limited herself to merely listen and act upon the other's commands. She returned Eska's smile. She really loved her new mother. And she was happy to work with her today. She was like a mentor for her. At the end her brother made that pairings for the groups. Being her placed along Artorias. She nodded and as he moved to their designated place she followed right after. And like a mirror to the larger wolf's actions, she also hided behind a bush, ready to get into action upon the first sign to start. "Talk"

As the rest of the group shared their ideas about the hunt and came up with a game plan, Eska watched the herd of long legged beasts just to keep track of them. Whatever role they wanted her to play, she would do so. In time, decisions were made and Ezra asked her to come with him, which she gladly did so. The pair of wolves crept out onto the field and Eska stayed low, hiding behind any brush or foliage that she could find. They had to wait until the others managed to tie the rope to the tree, but the moment that they were finished and gave the signal, Eska would be ready to go. She continued to watch the long necked beasts. They moved about as if they didn't have a care in the world. As though they had no natural predators. Well... they were about to be taught otherwise. "Eska"

Their plan was decided, and Ezra sent the two respective groups off to get into position. Kane exchanged a determined look with Ulric and gave the alpha a nod, grabbing his coil of rope and following alongside him down to the ambush point Ezra had picked out. It was a sound plan, with the only real variable being the herding party's ability to get the lanky creatures into the trap. He had faith in his pack mates though, and the seasoned hunter had no doubts they'd be able to pull this off. Both Ulric and himself had coats suited perfectly for this sort of terrain, and with the two larger wolves being downwind they were able to move freely to their destination. When they reached the trees, Kane set down his rope to lift himself up on his hind legs to free his paws to pull and tug the rope into a secure knot around the tree trunk, giving it a few experimental tugs to ensure it was tight. He then repeated the same for the second rope, then picked it up in his mouth and stretched it out the length of the space between the two trees.

Again, the two dire wolf hunters tied the opposite ends to the second tree, creating two solid tripwires ready to take down their prey. "That son of yours is a pretty sharp one," Kane complimented Ulric as they finished setting up the trap. "If he were in my tribe, he'd be a natural born hunter. You must be proud." Once the ropes had been secured, Kane motioned to a nearby thicket of brush they could hide behind and wait for their moment to strike. He padded quickly into cover, his tawny brown fur almost completely concealing him in the dry brown brush. Teal eyes stared out at the herd of giraffes, focused and ready. He gave a short, low howl to let the herding party know they were set, the sound barely registering for the unaware giraffes. The trap was set. It was time for some fun.

"Kaneonuskatew"

As his mate, Tamsyn may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Ezra saw a faint wave of his father's paw and he gave Eska a glance and double checked to make Art and Jane were still in position. Once Kane signaled them with a quiet howl a grin crossed his features and he rushed out of the brush to lead the charge with a much louder howl to get the giraffe's attention and startle them. He led the group toward the tall, leggy creature that was at the edge of the herd nearest the side where Kane and his dad were waiting and where their trap was waiting to come into play. Some howls, barks, and snarls from the hunting party were enough to get the beasts moving and some carefully placed bites at its spindly legs forced their target to turn away from its herd and start moving in the direction of their trap in an attempt to get away.

It didn't run all that fast, but its legs lent itself to some very long strides so it meant that they still had to sprint to keep up with it as they put up a chase. He bit at the ankles of its front leg nearest him to make sure it was guided in the right direction, right for the two trees that he could now see had rope strung back and forth between the two trunks. A couple of times he had to dodge one of the giant hooves to keep from getting kicked, but some careful dodging kept him out of the line of fire. Soon enough they reached the trees and the trap worked mostly flawlessly, catching the giraffe's legs and toppling the sky high creature. "Look out!" he called as it began to fall, the ropes tangling around its feet and making it fall like a super tall tree. One of the trees began to give way to its weight and the pull of the ropes, partially pulling it out of the ground. The giraffe hit the ground with a loud thud, and he darted forward to throw his weight onto the upper part of its neck to make it harder for it to attempt to get up while he left it open for the others to do the same, assuming Kane or Artorias would finish it off with either the hunter's fangs or his friend's sword or both.

Ezra Adravendi

Ezra led the charge, and then the hunt was on! Artorias nudged Jane and nodded, bursting from the brush to join in the pursuit of the long leggy creature. At first, the giraffes didn't seem phased by the small predators—at least not until they got close and started snarling and snapping jaws at their legs. That got them moving in a hurry! Artorias kept to one side of the giraffe while Ezra and Eska took the other side, snapping at its legs whenever it tried to divert off course and kept it moving toward their trap. Fortunately, the giraffe seemed much more interested in using those long legs to flee rather than to fight, so he didn't have to avoid the hooves on the end of each stilt-like appendage, he just had to run to keep pace with it. Thankfully, all his training made this a cakewalk.

Together the hunting party led the giraffe into the trap, and with a calamitous crashing of limbs, the large herbivore came tumbling down to the ground. Its long legs had gotten so tangled in the ropes that it didn't even stand a chance before Ezra was leaping onto it to try and keep it down. Knowing that his friend's weight against a creature of that size would be useless, Artorias didn't hesitate to run up to the giraffe's front, skidding to a halt while its head flailed to try and fling Ezra off. Drawing his sword, Artorias' eyes followed the giraffe's movements, finding the pattern and timing it with a wide arcing swing of his blade.

The sword carved clean through the front of the giraffe's throat, severing arteries and its trachea all at once. A massive spray of blood coated the dark-furred wolf, but the killing blow had been dealt. It would only be a matter of time before the giraffe succumbed to blood loss, but until it did, it was up to the rest of the hunting party to expedite its demise.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Ulric laid in wait with Kane as the signal was given and the hunt began in earnest. A few moments later he heard the howls and barks from the rest of the group and after a moment of realization from their prey he saw the tall, lanky creatures start galloping off in various directions, but one in particular started heading right toward them, obviously being herded by Ezra, Artorias, Jane, and Eska. As it got closer he could see the group running around its long legs and everything went off without a hitch. The giraffe ran right into their trap, the ropes tangling and wrapping around its legs and making it go crashing to the ground.

He sprung forward as soon as it began to fall, watching its path carefully to make sure no one got caught under it. Then as soon as it hit the ground with a loud thud he leapt forward to join Ezra in holding its large head down to the ground so it couldn't get itself up. Even with the weight of two dire wolves he could still feel it attempting to lift itself up from under them, but luckily Art stepped in before it could make much progress and with a swing of his sword sliced right through the front part of its neck, making it impossible for this giraffe to last much longer. He didn't move from his position, leaving any finishing blows to the others while he and Ezra remained to make sure it couldn't try to flail away and accidentally hurt someone. But for all intents and purposes they were successful and they would have meat to eat on for quite a while!

Ulric Adravendi

Jane waited until finally all the party began the move, and with Art's nudge she nodded, with tat she started running along Artorias, being as quick as she could. Eyes fixed into the tall animal they both were aiming to drive to the trap her father and brother made up. She lacked the size of the rest, being the smallest, but what she lacked in strenght she had it in speed and stamina. And like that the Jiraffe in panic ran right into the trap,falling down. She also helped to keep the animal down biting on of their hooks. And done and panting she looked at the rest smiling. "We made it!" She exclaimed as a big smile formed in her mouth. "Speak"