Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

( first round is for setting up and discussing the plan, plus leaving an opening for any non-Valhallans who get Lyr's message and want to join in. Hunt will start in the next round ^^) He led the way toward the ravine, ears alert. He paused long enough to send Lyr out with a message for any wolves he might find in the area—Valhalla was hunting an elephant and would shar a portion of the kill with any who helped bring it down. Should they be successful, such a beast would have Valhalla stocked for a long time, and there would be more than enough to feed those who weren’t members of the pack. Lunira and Sädir slipped away ahead of the group, scouting ahead for the elephant, and Ardyn chose a place on the ridge on Valhalla’s side. It was the same side as Lyr had reported the beast to be, and this would be a good staging point for the healers to set up while the hunters headed off to do hunt the elephant down. While he waited for the group to stop and unload their gear, he listened, both for the sounds of a large beast, and for any signs that Lyr had found some extra paws to assist in the hunt. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

"High King." He rumbled quietly as he neared the gathering. Torben eyed the location, taking in the grassy yet deep surroundings. It would be difficult to actually hunt here... Compared to an open location. He was too large, but at least he could corner the elephant if needed. Make it think twice about escaping. Torben's thoughts drifted once more to Voodoo and Audra. One, because he wanted his friends to be happy in whatever pack they chose. Two? He also worried about them, not being in Valhalla with him. "I'll do as ye ask of me" he added to Ardyn, bowing his head to the man. He kept an eye out for the stumbling and rocking of their prey. SPEECH HERE 1/3 - explore new place (cryer's ravine)

[ooc: Legacy is technically present, but will have a separate thread for healers and any who get hurt during the hunt. I won't be posting her here in order to avoid interrupting the flow of the hunt.]

The First Guardian was laden with supplies for the hunt, both over his back and on the travois he pulled. Spears with heavier heads and shafts, meant to dig through thick hides. From the sound of it the elephant was up on the same side they were, so hopefully they wouldn’t have to get too close to it until it met a hard stop at the bottom of the ravine. As Ardyn stopped, Cairo began unloading until he was down to his regular armor, nodding as Legacy moved off a little way to set up a small yurt and her healing supplies. She’d be staying out of the hunt, ready to lay paws and healing on any who got injured. Cairo moved to peer down into the ravine. Supposedly, this was the place he and his siblings had been conceived when their mother fell into the ravine and some man had helped her… He’d have to ask her if he could dream deeply enough to reach her. Still, it was a long fall. Long enough to incapacitate an elephant? That was assuming they were even able to drive it over the edge if they went with that plan. His eyes flicked to Ardyn, ears perking in question. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

ooc: Hey! Seumas is gonna jump in to lend a paw!
quick edit to change how seumas heard about the hunt!

A raven.... a glowing raven?... flew overhead, cawing out a message. A wolf unknown to Seumas - although who wasn't unknown to Seumas in these lands? - was calling a hunt. And not just any hunt, but an elephant. He had only heard tales of the beasts - inconceivably large, with thick grey skin and razor sharp tusks. To take on such and animal would take a horde, and a brave one at that. The male paused. A moon ago he would most likely have declined the call. However, his hunts since leaving the North had left him more muscled and well-fed than he had been since leaving his pack of birth. He felt strong. He could help these brave wolves, even just so his aid may prevent others from getting hurt by too few in the hunting party.

It didn't take him long until the hunting party came into view. There seemed to a main group of hunters prepared with equipment, and off to the side, out of potential harms way he estimated was a healer. A healer, he recognised in fact. Legacy, the small female he had met on that funny little island not long ago. It would make sense, then, that this hinting party was from the pack of Valhalla.
He passed by where Legacy stood, and offered her a smile and a nod, however he approached the main group first. Slowing to a stop a respectful distance away, Seumas dipped his head, and rumbled out, "I've come to offer my aid in your hunt, sirs. Seumas Cranak, at your service." Assuming they accepted his addition, he would wait and follow the lead of those in charge here.

Tallulah was not one to miss out assisting others. No matter how young she was, the girl was happy to help. She walked toward the location the call came from, spotting a massive beast in the near distance. An elephant, her mind reminded her. Boreas was home to them, even if she expected the animal to be in a more humid setting. "Name's Tallulah Colt" she introduced herself as she neared the mostly male hunting party. She dipped her head politely "m' here to help. Point me where." Because she was a novice cooperating with larger wolves, she would expect herself to be chasing the elephant instead of attacking. No matter! She'd still do her part of the work, gods willing. Tallulah looked over the lay of the land, seeing it uneven in some places since the snow departed. She hadn't been here for the winter. The grass looked a bit slick in some places. Best exercise caution when all else fails. She'd make a note to be careful when chasing the elephant. Her eyes shifted to look at the large man who called the hunt together. Waiting for his instruction. "speech here" 1/3 - extra large hunt

He had been roaming for...a long time now. Hunting. Fighting. Exploring the world. There was a lot that the world had to offer, and one such thing would be offered to him now. Someone's companion called around for those interested in joining a hunt. And not just any hunt, but one for a creature bigger than any he had hunted before. He made his way towards the location, and upon arriving found a group mixed of both pack and rogue. The pack scent was...vaguely familiar. And as he got closer, he realized it was that of the pack that he knew Caelia to be in. His interest perked suddenly. Would Caelia be at this hunt, too? Regardless if she would be or not, Tyto would join. If anything, he just wanted a cut of the spoils. He had never had elephant meat before and wondered how it might taste. He settled down at the edge of the group, gaze checking out those who were present. Though Tyto wasn't really one for words, so he nodded towards those that looked his way as he waited for the hunt to begin. "Speak"

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

[ooc: Longggg post! Let's get this on the road! Cairo will lead the charge up-top. If anyone has questions, ask me xD] As the hunters gathered, Ardyn watched and waited, nodding to Torben and Cairo, as they caught up and Cairo began unloading his packs. Soon enough Lyr swooped in to drop to Ardyn’s withers and murmured, “Three have answered, they should be here shortly; they weren’t too far off.” into the king’s ear. Ardyn smiled, nodding as he watched Legacy, and the healers who would be on standby in case this hunt brought injury to the hunters, set up a yurt. It was small enough to be travel worthy, but large enough to fit several wolves if needed, even if it might be cramped. Paw steps approached and first came a large earthen man, who introduced himself as Seumas Cranak. Interestingly, the man seemed to know Legacy, who had offered a fleeting smile of greeting and recognition to the man as he’d greeted her to the side when he’d approached. The silent recommendation from his cousin settled Ardyn that this was a good wolf to have on the hunt, and he smiled back. “You’re quite welcome in this hunt, Seumas.” Two more came. A mid-sized girl – a yearling but no less welcome – introduced herself as Tallulah Colt. And another tall man in darker earth colors, ruby eyes touched with white from cheekbones to brow points. He didn’t introduce himself, but his intentions were clear and Ardyn took him into the hunt with a nod. A soft rustle from the bushes brought his attention to Sädir and Lunira as the two big cats slid into sight, returning from their scouting mission. Lunira settled, pale lavender gaze flicking over the unfamiliar wolves that had joined her charge while she and the over-eager kitten of a mountain lion vibrating beside her had been scouting the elephant’s position. Keeping her voice low, she spoke directly to Ardyn. “The elephant has settled on the upper levels of the ravine. He is sleeping, so if care is taken, he could be startled over the edge. The ravine below his location is narrow. If he falls in, he will be in a tight space and injured. Still dangerous, but less able to fend off a pack.” Ardyn nodded, then turned to the gathered group of hunters, nodding as Legacy sauntered to the side, camp set up and waiting, to listen to the plans. “I am Ardyn Adravendi, Ard Rí – High King – of Valhalla. Simply call me Ardyn. This is Torben and my First Guardian, Cairo Adravendi. Consider him as a Beta. You’ll have heard it from Lyr here,” He tipped his head back to the glowing black and white raven still perched on his shoulders, watching closely, “That we have an ambitious goal for this hunt. We’re after an elephant.” He tipped his head to study the three loners, taking stock. “Now, this won’t be a typical hunt like with a bison. We’ll be using lit torches to scare the elephant into flight, and trying to drive him over the edge of the ravine. According to my friend Lunira, the ravine where the elephant is located currently is narrow enough to make it difficult for him to fight back effectively, but let’s not any of us grow too confident.” He nodded toward Legacy and the others that had gathered, either to act as healers for the injured, or guardians to keep them safe at camp. “This is Legacy. She and her fellow healers and guardians here at camp won’t be hunting with us. They’ll be staying here and treating any who get injured in the hunt. If you are hurt badly enough not to carry on in the hunt, pull back and get treated if you can. Lyr will be above keeping an eye out for any in need of help.” He studied the group as a whole, checking for any questions before gathering a pile of torches and laying them out for the hunters to grab up. “When we’re closer, I’ll light the torches. Tallulah, Seumas, Cairo; you’ll take the main scare-work. Wave those torches around and scare the daylights out of him. Myself, Torben, and …” he paused, eyes flicking toward the ruby-eyed man, letting him supply his name if he wished, before continuing, “Will handle getting him subdued at the bottom of the ravine while you follow the elephant down. We’ll split up further along the ridge. There should be a path leading down. I’ll light the torches there.” Once he was certain there were no questions or added input, Ardyn led the way at a silent trot. Lunira and Sädir led the way while Lyr pushed off into the sky to wheel higher and higher, there to keep watch for injury and warn the healer’s camp if the elephant broke free and charged in their direction. Lunira flicked her long-fringed tail, hairs glinting like silver as she drew to a stop at a fork in the path. One kept on along the ridge, but the other dropped down, following a path that had been widened by Aerie’s occupation, and possibly Ashen before them, but may have started out as a goat or deer trail. “Alright, this is where we split.” Before parting ways with the three detailed to do the driving, Ardyn pulled a bull’s horn from his pouch. Uncorking its porous seal, he tapped the coal out onto a flat piece of wood. He coaxed the coal into a flame with offerings of dry fodder and breath. Taking each torch, he lit the pine tar ends of the torches and handed them back to their holders. “The elephant should be about two hundred feet along the ridge. If you circle around and come in from three sides, it should be caught off guard enough to run over the edge. We’ll be down in the ravine lighting a barrier of brush on fire to discourage him from running down the ravine to a wider area. Sädir will go with you to lead the way. Give us about twenty minutes to get in position and then charge. Be safe.” He tapped the small blaze out and tucked the smoldering coal back into its horn. Corking the horn and putting it back in his pouch, he led the way down the path into the ravine, while Sädir led the way along the ridge-trail. In time, he directed first Seumas, then Talullah into place with their torches. Cairo, the last, he didn't direct. The man was experienced and well-known to Valhalla, and already knew what to do. Sädir slid to wait, within sight of each of the hunters he'd been tasked to guide and assist. Inside he was still vibrating with excitement, but he did his best to tamp it down. Lunira would cuff him if he botched this, and she wasn't shy about unsheathing her claws while she did it. Once on the bottom, and a couple of hundred feet along, Ardyn could hear the elephant’s breathing. It sounded asleep, but who could really know for sure? “Alright, let's get some dry brush stacked along the ravine in a barrier. Don’t light it until the three up top have gotten underway. Once the elephant’s fallen off into the ravine, light the brush on fire.” He found a small cave alcove at the bottom of the ravine and struck a small fire there, leaving it to smolder into a bed of coals while he helped gather enough brush and fodder to build a barrier from one wall of the ravine to the other. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Torben would have cautioned Ardyn's use of fire if he had more confidence in his diplomacy. He openly eyed the flames with a flicker of unease. If it was a wide area, he would see no trouble with this plan. But the Ravine was stuck closer together and a fiery inferno seemed likely, being surrounded on all sides if the flames were not properly controlled. He shuffled uncomfortably but did as he was told, fluffy his thick coat out to make him look big to the elephant. He followed after the High King as told, carrying whatever was needed of them. He merely went along with the plan as directed, not attacking until Ardyn actually said so. His eyes scanned the location uneasily still, feeling as if they were being watched. The thick foliage made the elephant secluded from the rest of the world. It was a male, and he wondered why they hadn't picked easier prey. All around him, he felt suffocated by the dense brush. SPEECH HERE 2/3 - cryer's ravine explored

[Ooc: We'll have the elephant fall in with Ardyn's next post ^^] The First Guardian sat patiently while the healers set up their yurt, and soon Lyr returned to Ardyn’s shoulders. The news was good, though the raven’s words were just quietly spoken enough that Cairo couldn’t catch them. He could guess though since Lyr had set off to find a few more hunters from outside the pack to assist. Soon enough, three figures arrived, and Cairo regarded each with keen assessment. Two men and a girl. He nodded to each with his customary grin, sapphire eyes twinkling before turning back to Ardyn as his king’s two cats returned from their scouting foray with the news. Soon, Ardyn got things underway with an introduction and outline of the hunt to come. It seemed Cairo would be going with Seumas and the yearling Tallulah, with Sädir acting as a guide. He glanced at the two, nodding to himself. He could work with that. As the group set off along the trail toward the fork, he glanced back, tail waving to the healers before they passed beyond his sight and he turned his eyes and mind to the hunt ahead. Ardyn halted the group at the fork, lighting the torches and explaining the upper-level group's initiative. He nodded his understanding and followed Sädir’s tawny form as it slinked into the bushes a ways down the trail. The cat led them in an arc, and Cairo was last to be placed. He could see each of the others and the mountain lion, and the sleeping grey bulk ahead of them, swaying even in sleep. The elephant was a big bull and had clearly seen much in his time. His tusks were worn, his body scarred with old marks from rut battles. He was also thin enough to see ribs, although Cairo, having never seen an elephant before – he wasn’t certain mammoths counted – wasn’t sure if that was normal or not. Enito leaned in and spoke softly into Cairo’s ear, “That’s an African Elephant. It’s unusual to see them in places like this continent… that’s normally left to other breeds… Then again, humans having gone has left the world to stray in new directions. They all thought mammoths were extinct, not to mention some of the other so-called prehistoric beasts we saw a few seasons ago.” Cairo nodded slightly, then slowly counted down until Ardyn’s time allotment ran out. He knew for sure the group in the ravine was ready when Chrystal dropped to the branches above him and clicked her beak softly, head bobbing. Cai gave a rough bark around his torch handle and charged forward with a savage bellow usually reserved for a warcry. Enito screeched and flailed as he bounded alongside the First Guardian. The Adravendi kept his distance as the big bull elephant woke with a ground shaking rumble and fanned his big ears; their group’s objective was to press the elephant back toward the ledge and scare it over the edge into the ravine, not to tangle with it directly. He gave the torch to Enito, who would be better suited to thrashing the fiery stick through the air while Cairo snapped and snarled, doing his best to be a threat that the elephant should run away from. He watched from his peripherals as he did, keeping tabs to be sure they stayed safe. The real battle would be down below. The elephant made a false charge, but it seemed more disorientated than it should have been, and soon backed off again, especially as Enito waved the torch at it and advanced just close enough to press the beast back. The noise was tremendous, and Cairo was sure his ears would be ringing for a good while with some of the bellows the beast made. Finally, the elephant started to back up, outnumbered by strangely confident wolves and fire, and Cairo, glancing behind it, could see the light of the ravine opening, with the trees unable to reach across far enough to reach other. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The hunt was on after a lengthy explanation. Tallulah sat patiently and waited, before drifting to the dark russet man that seemed to be the beta of their pack. As Cairo led them away to harass the elephant, she looked briefly around their surroundings to take them in. Lotta shade and lotta cover; perfect. She lowered her already smaller body to the earth, tickled by the foliage. Tallulah waited until Cairo began to chase. She darted from the brush and yapped at the heels of the elephant, trying to bite large ankles and draw it toward the target area. All in all, the bellows were nerving but tolerating. She tried to do her duty as best she could, following orders was something she could do. The elephant's shattering pain cries seemed to shake the Ravine. She hoped those big'ums were ready with the fire. She thought it was a bad idea to use it but... Whatever. "speech here" 2/3 - extra large hunt (i realized right after i began to type it's not my turn! sorry! just wanted to get it up)

There was a large group gathered, and although he had been quiet upon his arrival, the nod he received from the man in charge confirmed that he was okay to join this hunt. The large male introduced himself as Ardyn, Valhalla's king, and then he introduced a few others. Tyto did his best to listen, storing away names and the information he was given as the king eventually began to talk of a plan. They were to split into two groups, and luckily, Tyto ended up in the group that would be bringing it down. Or trying to, anyway. "Tyto." He said simply as he glanced around at the others that were named. He listened to the plan of action of both groups, and when it was time to move, he slipped away towards the ravine with Ardyn and Torben. He began to help prep things, keeping an eye and ear out for the elephant. He had never hunted one before, but it was likely going to be one of his most difficult hunts yet. Grabbing brush, he placed it where it was needed, and eventually, he could hear the commotion up top and he practically felt the rumble of the earth beneath his feet as the elephant stomped along. He glanced upto see the beast nearing the edge of the ravine, so once his task was done, he waited for the moment to strike. using 2 round skill pass "Speak"