within my bones this resonates
#1
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There was a change in the deer; Gabriel had noticed it, watching their patterns carefully. The rut had come to an end, leaving the younger, inexperienced males wounded and left to their own ends. They were still underweight, and while this concerned him in regards to how much meat could be taken from them, taking down two or more would given the clan enough food for a small amount of time. So he crept back to the shore and called for them, voice resounding over the crashing waves.

One by one, figures came. The day was gray and cold; his breath was visible with each exhale. As he waited for the group to settle, it began to snow lightly—flurries, though enough to address his concerns. “With winter on the way, our food supplies are going to grow strained. There’s a small group of deer not far off from here. I’d like to take down at least two of the bucks. We have to work as a group in order to make this work. One group will chase them into the other—if you have suggestions for positions, I’d like to hear them.”
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#2
While he was loath to answer a summoning call from Gabriel, his alliance also currently rested with Inferni, and thus demanded his attention. His breath rose in a plume on the cold winter air, fading before his muzzle as he walked. Even so, he took his time, loping along at a leisurely pace toward the sound of his half-brother's voice. Snowflakes had began to fall, spiraling toward the ground in flurries, but that would be enough to impair visibility in any hunt.

He settled himself on the cold sand, curling his tail around his paws and quietly regarding the others as they gathered. Gabriel spoke and his attention shifted toward him. They would need food for the winter, and they would all have to work together to get it. Survival undermined indignation at any rate. Samael's voice broke into the air, saying, ''I'll help take something down.'' It was a logical position, as for a coyote he held a size advantage for his species, and thus was suited for such a task.
#3
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Flurries had started to fall from the sky. Faolin looked up at the dark grey clouds above them. Each snowflake came down and as soon as it had touched her pelt, it disappeared and melted into water, dampening her red fur. She looked to Gabriel as his voice touched her ears, and plodded along after him until they had come to a stop. Faol and Gabriel had talked briefly this morning, about a hunt, a couple days ago she had mentioned it. Their food supply would be low, but they could not become weak with so many mouths to feed.

She sighed, and shook her head. Red eyes blinked away the frost that had tried to form across her eyelashes. Being the smaller of the group her blood less tainted by other species, she took on the size of a coyote. "I can scare, I'm not cut out for hunting, especially with all the bucks the way they are."





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#4
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Oh, my, my, you're oh so sly.


Let's leave unsaid what's left unspoken.
___ The call was loud and clear, and Hybrid wasted only a few minutes wallowing about before setting off to meet the rest of the clan. He assumed it was something of significant importance, or Gabriel would not have bothered calling them together so soon after their last meeting. He did not know about the rest of the Land of Wuffluvers, but he always found them to much too lonesome for their own good. Coyotes were not nearly as sociable as wolves, and with good reason, for which having a clan larger than their current number always seemed difficult. Even so, Hybrid followed the sound of the call, loping along the beach for a few minutes before arriving upon the small gathering.
___ He listened as Gabriel spoke, acknowledging the obvious need for the meeting of members. Without such food, the puppies would starve, and Hybrid had been thirsting for a taste of real food for some time. Rabbits and smaller game could only tide one over for so long. "I'll also assist in taking down the prey." Like Samael, he was much better suited at the actual shedding of blood as opposed to herding the prey to the others. If anything, it was the only real thing he was good at.

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#5
[html]Empusa heard the call from Gabriel. She was beginning to be able to recognize his voice...this was the second time she had heard it. Empusa hadn't known Kaena at all, had only known that the dog was her grandmother...so to her, Gabriel would always be the leader. He had been the one to allow her to join, and to turn her mother away. It had proven to be a good choice; Empusa had learned that wolves, and hybrids that looked like them, were disgusting creatures. How could a /coyote/ live amongst Gods like them? It would be unsanitary.


She arrived with the others, taking a spot toward the outside of the circle. She was too young to help a lot, maybe to help at all...she would watch, though.


"Would you be vanting my help? Other than that I will watch--and join the next time we 'ave an 'unt"[/html]
#6
[html]Sorry for the delay guys! In order to move this along, we'll do two more rounds of posting. This one, in which your characters get into place, and another when they actually rock the hunt. I'll have the sparring thread up once we finish here! Big Grin

Their lack of adult members startled Gabriel, but it did not show on his face. He knew better then that. Samael and Hybrid, the two other adult males in the clan, offered to do the killing. They were both suited to that bloodshed. Any bloodshed, really. Before he managed to speak, Empusa, his niece, offered to help or watch. Gabriel considered this for a moment, then spoke. “Empusa, if you want to join us stay close to me. Samael, Hybrid, take your positions. Faolin, you’re also with me.”
With that, Gabriel began to move towards the woods.
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#7
Gaze peering around at the others gathered, it was painfully obvious how their clan had diminished. Only he, two others, and a child had appeared, answering Gabriel's call. But that would be enough to make a kill. And it would mean less mouths to argue with over what food they did succeed in bringing down. Ears slidding forward atop his head, he rose from his position on the ground and turned, slinking off into the trees. Crimson gaze peering around through the branches, he kept track of where the others were, and the potential direction they'd send the prey in. Finding a suitable spot, golden coyote lowered himself to the ground, claws pressing into the soil to keep him ready and able to spring into immediate action at a moment's notice. Pale cloud of breath exhaled from between parted jaws, dispersing between twin rows of razor fangs. He was ready, and already craving the taste of blood that would pass soon across his tongue, if successful.
#8
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Empusa didn't fall far behind and Faolin smiled and winked at the girl. She was kind of young to be out hunting with the pack, but it would not be fair to exclude her. Faol was going to make sure that Empusa would not get trampled or hit. Gabriel words quickly turned her attention back to him and she smiled and nodded. Okay, so it would be easier to keep an eye on the young girl. She doubted Gabriel would put her out right on the deer anyway. Faolin nodded, paws digging into the ground wanting to run and have the wind whip at her. She wanted to sink her teeth into the hide of that creature. A shiver trailed down her spine just thinking about it. It was cold and it would be welcoming to finally be able to run. As soon as Gabriel took off, she followed closely behind, red eyes flashing back to Empusa following behind her.





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#9
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Oh, my, my, you're oh so sly.


Let's leave unsaid what's left unspoken.
___ It was time. He could sense it in the air, and he was sure they all felt it too. It was that emotion that always seemed to lay dormant at the bottom of one's stomach until the final moment before a hunt. Right now everyone could feel it, could taste it. The air was salty, bitter, but it did not take away from the moment. It added to it and gave it flavour. Hybrid grinned, nodding as Gabriel spoke, silently walking over to where Samael was. The other coyote stank of blood lust and hatred: it was a delicious stench for an Inferni coyote.
___ He followed Samael as he trotted off to the cover of the trees, keeping close and keeping quiet. Like Samael, he lowered his body to the ground, but remained alert. He relaxed his muscles and steadied his breathing. Watching; waiting.

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#10
She was excited that she was allowed to join the others in the hunt. She’d noticed when she’d arrived that there weren’t any other youngsters like herself in the group…and she hadn’t been sure that she would be allowed to help them bring down the prey. Empusa didn’t know a lot about hunting at all…she didn’t want to mess things up for them. She’d been worried about joining the hunt, and now she was nervous about getting in the way. This was the first time she’d seen some of these coyotes, and she didn’t want to make them angry with her.

The hybrid nodded in response to the leader’s words, and when they started off she kept close to him and Faolin. She knew that she would be safe with them, and that they would think of a way for her to be of use. She was small now, but with time she would grow into something larger. Maybe by the next clan hunt she would be able to participate fully.

Empusa tagged along behind the two, looking around excitedly.
#11
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The air smelled like water, like flesh, like death. Gabriel’s body was a steel loaded spring, hunched down. There were no words. This was something imbued in their spirit, their instinct, their blood. Before them was the target, not just one individual, but a group that meant nothing. Lips pulled back, teeth glistening in the light, tongue tasting the scent in the air. With a deep growl, he sprung towards the herd. Barking and snapping wildly, the hybrid began to drive the group towards where Samael and Hybrid lay in wait.
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#12
He was waiting, watching with muscles tense and ready to spring. Crimson eyes peering through the brush, there was a sound that caused his ears to twist forward atop his head and muzzle to lift just a few inches. The sound of delicate hooves tearing up the ground and the wild, acrid stench of fear possessing the air. He could see Gabriel running after the deer, snapping and barking as he herded them toward where he and Hybrid crouched, ready to attack. One drew near; a doe with liquid, black eyes wide rolling back in her head and nostrils spread as she sucked in deep breaths of the cold, winter air. A flash of gold and black as his claws dug into the snowy soil, propelling himself toward her, slamming his shoulder into her chest. White-hot pain splintered into life from where he impacted against her body, but his tactic succeeded in causing the doe to stumble, legs flailing as she attempted to regain her footing. Own paws landing heavily on the ground, he twisted around, snapping and bitting at the deer's bulging flank as he began to devour her alive.
#13
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Faolin had stayed close to Gabriel's side, and she watched and waited for his signal. A moment later he bounded off after the deer and Faolin veered to the other side a bit and came in at the opposite angle, driving them towards the ambush that was waiting on the other side. She kept her ears open, listening keenly for the fall of paws on the snow that were of Empusa. There was no way she was allowing the girl to get hurt because of the deer that were on a rampage running through the Inferni territory in fear. Instinct drove them, and Faolin snapped at the hindquarters of one doe, Samael and Hybrid easily picking up on her and started to tear her apart as she still tried to regain her footing from where Samael had hit her and knocked her off her feet. Faolin quickly dove onto the female attacking her on the other side to help Samael and Hybrid to make sure she stayed down. Faolin looked back at Gabriel quickly, there seemed to be a few that were particularly weak. "Should we attempt another? You and I?" she breathed heavily, the air visible around her muzzle.





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#14
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He could feel it. The pounding of the hooves on the snow alerted both Hybrid and Samael of the arrival of the deer, and when it was time, they leapt from the bushes in close synch to attack the deer. Samael succeeded in throwing the doe off balance and Hybrid took advantage of this by aiming for the neck. He jumped, claws outstretched and jaw agape, landing somewhat awkwardly on the doe's side. He dug his claws in, ripping large chunks of fur out of the doe as he caught himself. The doe bucked, and he used the movement to get closer, digging his teeth into its neck. Hybrid tore at the doe's flesh, snarling as the doe tried to dislodge him from its back once more. Samael snapped at the doe, startling her and adding to her misery. She screamed and went down as Faolin approached and began to attack from the other side.

Hybrid snapped his jaws at the doe's neck once more, giving his head a hard jerk, staining the world with blood. Their prey was down and making a few feeble twitches and kicks, as if it might save her. All present knew it would not. Hybrid grinned, surveying their work. Delicious.

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#15
She followed along behind the others, soon becoming swept up in the thrill of the hunt. She could see why they liked hunting in a group, now; they could bring down an entire deer if they worked well together! That was a huge amount of food! Empusa hurried along behind Faolin, watching what the more experienced hunter did and echoing it. She snapped her teeth together menacingly to try and help keep the doe running, as the older coyotes bit at its haunches.

When it was brought down she sat nearby, panting. This was the most exciting thing that had happened in a while, and she was going to savor the memory. She waited to see what was going to happen next, if they were going to eat. If they did she would most certainly eat last, as she hadn't helped as much as the others to bring it down. That was the reasoning.


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