A Wolf's Hunt(OPEN)

[phrostphyre]

The large wolf, brown with splotches of gray on his flanks, moved through the thick forest that covered the Spine. He was a large specimen, and in the prime of youth. He wasn’t a member of a pack, and as a lone wolf, he hunted the crags, valleys, and mountains of the Spine himself. He was currently going across a mountain, after an old red deer doe, the member of a herd. The wolf paused and put his nose to the air; he was downwind of the herd, and they didn’t suspect anything. He continued on his run, iron muscles not giving out. It had been two weeks since he had last eaten, and he was hungry. He never stopped, unless to take his bearings. Eventually he found the herd in a valley with one entrance. They numbered over three hundred; the doe he wanted was in the center. He pressed himself against the ground and began slithering forward, into the herd itself. A sudden change in the wind brought his scent to the attention of the stags in the herd, and they began searching for him. He burst up, running through the herd and causing as much chaos as possible. The doe was separated from the herd when the wolf began leading the stags away from her and the rest of the does followed. He melted into the underbrush near the entrance of the valley and waited for the main group of the herd to leave.

Once they left, the wolf moved out into the clearing. The doe was making distress sounds, but the herd wasn’t willing to face the teeth of a hungry wolf. He began driving her further inwards, nipping at her flanks and side. This continued for several minutes, the doe’s lifeblood spilling unto the ground, when the wolf leaped onto her back and brought her down with a slash of teeth to the Great Vein in the neck. She fell with a stricken cry, and the wolf promptly settled upon her, his hackles rising and a growl emanating from his throat as he warned whatever other predators in the area that this was his kill. Nothing showed its face, and the wolf settled into the carcass, going for the heart and liver first. He suddenly stood, then made his way to a pine tree, where beneath its evergreen limbs he had dug a hole. His snout began to shorten, and his back limbs elongate while the forelimbs shortened. His ears became less pointed and moved down the side of his head, and after a few seconds, Brian Conchobhar MacTìre stood, naked as the day he was born. He began poking at the base of the tree, and soon enough he was pulling his longbow, sword belt with blades on it, kilt, sporran, and shirt from the hole. He put the shirt on, then wrapped the kilt around his hips and swung the excess plaid over his shoulder after buckling the sword belt on. He pulled his boots on, then placed his sgian dubh in the right one. After placing his bow and quiver near the deer carcass, Brian grinned and took flint and tinder from his sporran. He drew his dirk and lit a fire, then began skinning the deer carcass. As he worked, he spoke a prayer.

”Dear Spirit, please forgive me for taking your life. I shall honor your sacrifice by continuing to live, for your death has allowed me to do so. I thank you, and my children shall know of your honor.”[/B]

[wilddog]

Avoet Cursemaker sped through the forest. All around him, pine trees blurred in an endless landscape of green. On the mountain, the air was thin and cold. The elf’s breathe materialized in front of him, creating a shroud of mist that broke when he ran though. As was the custom of the Akuborin tribe, he wore his clothes covered by a cloak. The cloak was made to be hard to see. A barrage of browns and greens caused him to disappear in the forest. Underneath, his light amour hampered him not while he ran. On his back lay a great bow, but since Avoet was a poor shot, he rarely used it. Dora and Eriak were the archers. He was the scout. Right now, he was supposed to be looking around, but something caught his attention. Now, that is not a feat to be boasting about, Avoet is easily distracted. But this kept his attention for a surprisingly long time, and still is. Being an expert tracker, he read the signs and was intrigued. A monster ran around here. A large canine, maybe a wolf, ran though here. But another sign of tracks also caught his attention. These were a single pair, signaling that the creature walked on two feet. Judging by the indentations and the width of the footprints, this was no human. Standing seven feet tall, this fiend must be one of the many mysteries of the Spine. Torn, Avoet decided to follow the wolf (out of sheer curiosity). He disliked running after a wild goose. To track a wolf, though, would be a day well spent.

Up ahead, a herd of deer scampered towards him. Fright filled their eyes, giving speed to their feet. Jumping out of the way, Avoet nearly was trampled. Deer don’t usually do that, so Avoet strongly suspected that the wolf was near. Scrambling, Avoet lost the tracks and walked up. It seemed to him that the land started inclining upwards. Deciding to gather his wits, he climbed a pine and had a look-see. To the left of him, lay a valley. To hills jutted up, with landing sloping down into the vale. Avoet was at that moment on the right hill, about mid way up. The entrance to the valley was down bellow and to the left, when one would look down the hill. The herd seemed to have run up from the center and there, in the midst of the trees, a small tendril of smoke rose. For a moment, Avoet grew quite confused. A man (or elf) in the Spine? And right where he supposed the wolf to be. Instantly, two forces inside him fought. There were identical forces, being of curiosity. One said to follow the wolf and the other, the man. Pondering, Avoet slid down the tree. When he hit the ground, a splinter shot out into the palm of his hand. Cursing, he pulled it out. Thankfully, the splinter was quite small and he soon forgot about it. For a new card was played in the mystery. Peering at the tree, he saw that eye level to him, about six feet, was a long scratch in the wood. Something with long claws ripped into the tree, tearing off bark. The second creature, not the wolf or the man below, but the monster, suddenly crowded out the other forces in his mind. This creature was his goal.

As if issuing a challenge, a large scream pierced the air. In shock, Avoet could only stare and listen. This scream was like nothing he ever heard before. It sounded like the call of a lion, mixed with the roar of an open fire. Its sound echoed through the valley, taking advantage of the fine acoustics made by the open vale. Avoet knew that this sound could not be made by a human, nor any other creature. Trying to pinpoint the location, Avoet deduced that since the sound grew louder, it originated in the other side of the valley, far past the smoke. Standing erect, the elf moved down the valley. All around him, not a soul moved. No birds flew in the sky. No mice scampered. All was silent. Presently, a smell wafted in. The smell of deer brought his attention to the smoke. But this was no time to eat. Finally, he arrived at the bottom of the valley and trekked towards the sound. In his mind, Avoet began to doubt whether or not this creature existed. It could be a elf using magic that caused his voice to sound like that. But, the Spine was a mysterious place. Folks around here always talked about many beasts who lived here. It was quite possible that there was a monster here. And Avoet vowed to find him, no matter what.
Words: 800
Host: Phrost
Comment: Let the Hunt Begin!

[phrostphyre]

Brian began building a spit to roast the deer he had brought down upon. He found a likely looking branch and began trimming it with his dirk, working swiftly but surely. After finishing, he set it upon the frame and placed the carcass on the spit. His work was swift but sure, the mark of a careful man. A quote his father liked came to mind: “Men aren’t born dangerous. They grow dangerous.” And so it was with Brian. He had been born small and weak. Now, however, he was a threat to any enemies of King Angrenost, his fellow soldiers, and the women that he charmed. The deer carcass, skinned and gutted, roasted slowly. Brian felt his stomach growl again; the two bites he had taken earlier were nothing to hold him in human form. It had taken all his self control to refrain from going back, and now it was. He had just enough time to get the shirt and kilt off before his face elongated, his ears traversed upwards, a tail began to grow from his backside, and he dropped to all fours. In Brian’s place sat an extremely large wolf, brown with gray splotches. He, for the wolf was male, began sniffing at the steaming pile of guts near the fire. After a moment, he began consuming them.

[kaioinazuma18]

A woman stalked silently through the forests. She was known more as a bounty hunter than a mercenary, but it didn't bother her. She would go after whomever was unjust to their fellow man. She was a peacemaker, and she did not need a license to do as such. All she needed was a knife and her cloak. She heard some kind of ravenous behavior further down the hillside, through the trees, and her ears could not discern who or what it was, but it smelt like food, so therefore she assumed it was a human or barbarian of sorts. Someone had killed a deer, skinned it, gutted it, and put it on a spit. She understood their reasoning, but to her it was still a barbaric thing to do. However, she understood that they had no magic to gain the nutrients the elves could from just eating vegetables and other such foods. All she had to do was find the source of the smell that had graced her delicate nose, and the sounds that had fallen like hammer blows upon her sensitive ears.

[wilddog]

Avoet stumbled upon the creature feeding. He was tall, quite tall. Though, it was hard to tell, since he was on all four paws. A great shaggy coat adorned him and gleaned with red blood. His powerful arms ripped in to a small rabbit and ate. Slowly, as if savoring its taste. Avoet was no authority on the subject, but it was apparent that the creature, whatever it was, was starving. Ducking back behind a tree, he breathed easy. Eriak was the hunter, he and Dora. So Avoet wasn’t going to kill the beast. Jogging back towards the entrance to the valley, he saw a trail of smoke rising. Wondering if he could figure out what the creature was, he ran towards it.
Notes: Terribly short. And, the beast is a bear. Wild elf, not from this land, wouldn’t know who what a bear is

[phrostphyre]

The wolf swallowed down the last of the offal; heart, tongue, and everything save intestines. He nosed around for a moment, then took a bone and began chewing on it to try and get the marrow out. It was a major source of protein, and he enjoyed it. Biting down, he cracked it in half, and then began sucking the marrow out from the bone halves, while keeping them in his mouth. He eventually sucked the bone dry, then began pawing at it and whining for more. However, there was no one to give him more save for another bone, so he began attacking it. He kept one ear up and to the wind, listening for anything approaching.

(You people are nuts. What’s so fascinating about a wolf eating?)

[kaioinazuma18]

Brynja approached slowly, bow at the ready before she saw the wolf. Her guard did not lower, but she did find herself curious as to what the wolf had been doing with a fire to roast food on. She snuck closer, putting her bow away and keeping her hand at the ready, hidden dagger always at the ready to use in case she was ambushed. She saw it listening to the wind and she began humming a soft song, coming into the clearing, standing up harmlessly, appearing without fear and with great curiosity at the wolf's presence. She was interested in the wolf, it was larger than a wolf should be, and the fact that there was a fire meant that it was either a shape-shifter or had eaten the human who made it. However, they were in the spine, and so it was clear that there would be no humans up this far unless they were nuts. That only left one answer, and it made Brynja even more curious than before.

[wilddog]

(lol. No, but a wolf eating by a fire with outlandish clothes piled by is something else)

Avoet slowed down his rate when he reached the opening. Breathing deeply, he struggled to catch his breath. Ahead of him, lay a scene that amazed him. A large wolf, but obviously young, ate what was left of a carcass. Which, of course, wasn’t all that spectacular, except for the piles of clothes and a man-made fire. Grasping his bow, he waited for something to happen, perhaps to explain this mystery. While he waited, another movement, over to his left, drew his attention. Another being was just as curious as he was. Since he had done nothing against any law he knew , he ignored the presence.