@&#&$Thud, thud, thud. His racing heart sounded like the pounding of a bass drum and each footfall on the dry grass and crunchy snow may as well have been thunder. His body was held so low that the fur on his chest may well have brushed against the frozen earth, though it was not as if he would notice. Each slow, mechanical step brought the streamlined hybrid closer and closer to his quarry: a plump light brown hare. So far the rodent was oblivious to the twin red eyes trained on its form, but suddenly it tensed and stopped munching away on the desiccated shoots. The wind had shifted and its stalker no longer escaped the radar.
@&#&$It took off at once, flying in leaps and bounds across the snowy plains. Anselm sprung after it and was making good progress when a small gully, masked by the snow cover, caused him to stumble briefly and lose his footing. In that split second the animal gained yards on him, but he persisted in the chase for a little bit longer. He was just about to call it quits when something unexpected happened: the rabbit jerked to a stop as if lassoed by an invisible leash, then came flying backwards before crashing to the ground. The bronze wolf's advance ceased entirely now, and he stood indecisively, his ears swivelling endlessly as he tried to piece together exactly what might have happened. Was there some snake underground that had reached up and snatched it as it ran past?

@&#&$Tentatively he padded forward, and here his prey rose and began to struggle. Only once he was within several feet could his eyes pick out the trap that had snared the rabbit's left hind foot. He'd never seen such a contraption before; what was this, a gift from the deities he refused to believe in? Though that seemed unlikely, he wasn't one to question a free meal. He snapped at the animal and it quickly perished in his jaws, but it remained stuck in the trap. He yanked on it twice before dropping the kill and taking a closer look. There had to be some sort of release mechanism, right? Licking his lips hungrily, he simply stared at it before reaching down to gnaw off the offending leg. Over the scent of fresh blood he finally registered that of another: Cotl. Had the German man set this trap?

@&#&$Although it would be simple to make off like a bandit with his prize (and he was the one to send it into the frenzied run that drove it into the trap in the first place), he decided it would be polite to inform Inferni's Imaginifer of the catch. They would share it, as was customary for any team-effort kill--even if that meant turning his lunch into more of a snack. More importantly, Anselm wanted to ask Cotl about the traps. Those wily bastards from overseas had all kinds of sneaky tricks up their sleeves, and whatever this technology was, he wanted in on it. Could it be scaled up? Could they catch an entire deer with the right kind of trap, or even a wolf?

@&#&$Tossing back his head, the Caelum let out a brief call requesting the presence of the horseman alone, if he were available. If not, he would keep the spoils for himself and catch up with Cotl later, but the questions that burned in the back of his mind had him hoping for the singing dog's company sooner rather than later.

OOC: Timeline would be sometime after Cotl had hung out with Marik in his room and drawn Halo's tattoo as well as after Anselm gets his tattoo. Also after war was declared. Secui form is what I'm assuming that Anselm is in. SSWM: 475

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It had not been long since the two male's had met up and done Anselm's tattoo. The Aquila; Gabriel had also declared war against the wolf pack, Dahlia de Mai. Cotl was ready for war mentally, though he didn't have very much as far as weaponry went. Unless you considered a tattoo gun as a weapon. Nein, it definitely was not a weapon. In fact, Cotl knew exactly what he was going to do. He wanted to make some dangerous explosives. He had enough knowledge to gather ingredients, and he had enough fire to do so as well. The male licked his lips. Marik and him needed to go to Halifax and gather some materials. Cotl had been stuck at Inferni's borders most recently, even though war had been declared. Again, the boy had only his teeth and claws as weapons, and he didn't want to go out and fight without being prepared. He really wanted to blow some wolves up though. The male would do a raid eventually with someone, for now, he was stuck here, doing whatever he could to secure the borders, and possibly bring down some courageous Dahlians that decided that they wanted to come to his home and try and penetrate the borders.

A voice rose to the sky calling his name. Large audits swiveled towards the voice, which happened to not be far off. It was his buddy Anselm. He needed to check on the male anyways, and check how his ear was doing. Cotl figured since the male had two others, there would be no infections, but he could be wrong, and this call could be one for help in taking care of it, or it could be for something totally different. He didn't know, so he was quick to jab his horse's side with his heel and take off towards the male's voice. Within a few minutes, the golden male's fur came into view. Cotl pulled the reigns back on his horse and caused the stallion to skid to a halt before the male dismounted and then looked at what the male had placed infront of him. It was a rabbit that had it's leg chewed off. A little bit away from him laid his sprung trap that he had set. Cotl let his icy orbs fall slightly harshly on his friend, as if he was mad. So you've been the-SCHIESS- one stealing my kills, eh? the male asked, his pierced brow cocked at the other male, slightly disappointed. He figured that Anselm could easily take down his own rabbit, and not have to be stealing Cotl's food. After all, if the male wouldn't have stolen it, then Cotl would have been happy to share with the other male if he just asked.

What the hell, man? Cotl asked, shrugging his shoulders and looking at the golden brute.

Speak Think. walk.

@&#&$Cotl's accusation caught him off guard, but only for a split second. "No," came the prompt reply; his tone--much like his face--was neutral. One ear had fallen back in a vague display of annoyance roughly on par with Cotl's own (i.e., not much), but it quickly rose forward again. "I've never seen one of these traps before. I would've missed this one, too, if the rabbit I'd been chasing hadn't run into it," he added, figuring this explanation would suffice. With a quick ironic huff, any remaining coolness (if it could even be called that) melted away. "Man, didn't know what the hell to think when it suddenly went flying backwards through the air. Thought for a second I'd finally mastered telepathy, hah!"
@&#&$He couldn't truthfully claim he'd snub his nose at any "free" meal; he was opportunistic and if he hadn't been able to identify the faint scent of his clan-mate on the trap, all evidence of the catch would've already been destroyed. Short of Gabriel or Kaena setting these traps, by all rights he was entitled to the spoils regardless. Still, as Cotl had figured, there was really nothing that necessitated him stealing food; while this method was untraditional, he largely saw no reason to interfere (as was the case with any kill made by his comrades). If he saw any sprung traps in the future, he'd probably give a quick call at that location and move on so Cotl could have at it while it was still fresh.

@&#&$He shrugged a little, nudging the dead animal with his snout. The carcass was still warm and the taste of blood lingering on his tongue was making him drool. He tossed the other a questioning glance, sort of curious to see what the hybrid now considered fair. Anselm made no move to start eating; instead, he simply lifted his head again to speak. "So how's this trick work, anyway?" he wondered, gaze drifting to the trap. He'd like to see how they were set, and if possible how they were tripped up close. "'n what's the biggest thing you've ever caught with one of these?" he questioned further, not bothering to mask his intense curiosity.

OOC: 634 to SSWM <3 Reference to Snares and other traps

------------------------------------------------------------

Cotl let the other male explain himself. He had said something about not seeing the traps before, as well as adding on a joke that he thought he was telekinetic all of a sudden or something. Cotl couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape his maw. He let this one slide, since the male had explained himself and why his kill was not in the trap and instead, chewed off of the trap and infront of him. Cotl he shrugged his shoulders. Ya' need to work on that one, Anselm.-ASSASSINATE GOD!- That skill takes some mad skills. the male responded to the joke, smiling and chuckling back at the other before Anselm went on to ask more about the traps.

Cotl had looked at the kill once before realizing that he had not caught anything in the last few days, and this would have been his first kill but Anselm had gotten to it first. He figured that he'd let the male have the kill, and not mention anything about him not being able to catch anything because something kept on tripping his traps, or someone had been stealing his kills. There were also many of his traps that were simply destroyed. At some point the thought of Halo smashing his traps came to his mind, perhaps after finding her rats in one of them, but then decided that she wouldn't do that without making a big deal about it when she got back from smashing traps. If she had been doing so, then he would have to approach her and actually tell her that he had been setting traps for rabbits and that it was one of the only ways he had gotten his food, since he didn't really hunt large game because of his size. He highly doubted that she would be the one doing it though. There were plenty other Coyotes in the clan to blame for the destruction of his traps. He would like to find out, but he also wasn't going to really go around and tell others that's how he got his meals, in fear that they might not be like Anselm and call, but instead run off with his meal.

The particular trap that Anselm was inquiring about was a snare trap that was made like a noose, once something had stepped into the noose, it snapping shut around the foot of the animal and it being attached securely to the ground so it could not take off with his trap. Cotl had looked to the male before cocking his brow. The male also wanted to know how big of an animal he had caught with a snare. He honestly hadn't made one bigger than the size of a raccoon. Well...It's called a "snare trap". How it works is that, it has a trip wire that is tripped by any slight movement. Once it's tripped, the noose will tighten around the animal's foot, neck, whatever, and since it's attached to the ground, -FUCKING GOAT MOLESTER- they cannot really go anywhere. Eventually they suffocate, or get too tired to fight their fate and then die. It's really as simple as that. I'd have to show you how to make it to really get into detail. the male started off, pausing to take a breath or two before starting to speak again, this time intending to answer the male's second question. I normally make small ones. I've made bigger ones, -NYEHH- but they are more complicated, and I rather like smaller prey anyways. The biggest thing I've caught though has got to be a hog. the male spoke to the other, clearing his throat after he had finished speaking to the male. Why, what's on your mind? the male asked, wondering why the male would like to know.

Speak Think. walk.

@&#&$Even without television or comic books to fuel their developing minds, it was normal for children to consider which super powers they'd want if only the world worked that way. Some choices were more obvious than others; he remembered a lot of the kids he grew up with citing the ability to fly, and while he had to admit he wouldn't be complaining if he could take to the skies on a whim, the allure of telekinesis and pyrokinesis had always been much greater. Flying away to escape enemies would only do so much good if they could fly themselves; if he could spontaneously ignite his foes into flaming balls and fling them at back-breaking speeds against nearby trees, however, it'd be fairly obvious who had the upper hand. Of course he'd abandoned all of these silly thoughts years ago now, but their ridiculous conversation was enough to send a wave of nostalgia washing over him. Just as quickly it was gone; those were hardly good times.
@&#&$Instead he focused as Cotl explained the trap, seeking to visualise it in his own mind and also in the context of the one that had been sprung already. After several moments of contemplation it seemed to make sense. "A hog is mighty impressive," he noted, completely serious. Wild boar were vicious and ferocious beasts, unafraid of taking even an adult wolf head-on if they felt threatened. "I suppose the main limitation, then, would be securing the post to the earth and finding a strong enough rope?" Maybe catching an intruder with one of these would be impossible--any half-intelligent being would simply gnaw through the rope and any sizeable creature would just rip the stake from the ground completely (assuming they were caught by a limb, of course, and not by the neck). "I was just wondering to what extent it could be scaled up and remain effective," he finished with a shrug; there was always a limit on this sort of thing.

@&#&$The other had made no further move to question the legitimacy of the kill, nor did he seek to share it. Anselm placed one paw on the animal's front and secured his jaws about its midriff, giving a good solid yank on the back end. Although this was not highly efficient, it worked because the animal was so small. Flesh tore, bones snapped, and at the end of this process the unfortunate bunny had been divided into two chunks, with one slightly bigger than the other. He picked up the bigger one and snapped his neck quickly, causing it to somersault through the air toward Cotl's hand. With that, he buried his snout into the innards of his portion. His whiskers and lips were stained red as he dug at the meat inside, gulping it down quickly and crunching through the tiny bones as he went. It was consumed completely within minutes, leaving him to lick the blood from his jaws as he padded over and squinted again at the trap. "Do you know if any traps capable of restraining an adult deer exist?" he wondered, intrigued and not prepared to drop the subject just yet. "Perhaps something made with metal?"

OOC: 608 to SSWM <3

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The other male spoke about the hog being impressive, which was even to Cotl's surprise. Once he had found the hog stuck in one of his traps, he really didn't understand it until he had actually feasted on the beast. The hog had been blind, and old, the fight in it was low, and it was going to die anyways. He figured he should have told the male the circumstances of the kill, but he decided not to, simply because he knew of a way that he could catch a hog just by setting a trap. It just took a different type than the one that he normally used. You see, Cotl's thing was the snares. He could make a snare with just about anything, but the snares that he kept around for the rabbits weren't normal per say, he had his own signature trap. He used piano wire to snatch at the Rabbit's body part, which gave them an instant death if they got their throat snatched, simply because Piano wire was a metal wire, that if snatched at a certain speed, could slice through flesh like a hot knife through cold butter. Some of his kills he found had been completely decapitated because of this. You seemed surprised. This little German knew his traps. Just like he knew miscellaneous information.

Cotl nodded his head at the other male as he spoke of finding a post strong enough to keep the trap and victim in the spot. Well, it was either that, or make sure your trap will kill no matter what happens. Both lethal and non-lethal methods were easy for the male to mimic. He just needed all the right tools, and plenty of coverage. Ja. There's another type that involves a tree and levering, but it takes a lot of work, and it's very sensitive, -NYEH-so if something was to come even close to it, but not close enough and it'll just snap and lever up air into the tree. Pits are also common, but they are of no use in the winter. the male shared his knowledge of different types of traps. He left out a few of them, simply because there were ones that he still did not understand how to put together, and he hadn't had the right tools to work with to make it effective.

The male asked to what size the snare could be up-scaled and be still effective, effective enough to take down an adult deer. Cotl cocked his brow. Well, ja, it can be up-scaled. The humans used to hunt bears with this method. It's just that they had large metal jaws that closed would the feet of the victim. -FUCKING PIG SHITTING COCK JUMPING MONKEY FACED WHORE- They are extremely hard to find now, I've yet to find one within Halifax, though I could just be not looking hard enough. There's no way I could make them, I'm not a metal bender. Out of my many skills, that's just one that you can't come to me for. the male spoke to the other, his shoulders shrugging. He had already seen where this was going. It was going for the war that had been declared. Cotl hadn't really been in a rush to start setting larger traps simply because he needed the help to set them up and test them as well. He also needed the supplies. There weren't enough in the shed that he had found for him to do much with. He'd need a squad to help him cover Halifax for supplies. You're wondering for the war, ja? the male asked, his throat clearing as he spoke.

Speak Think. walk.

@&#&$If the snare trap was exotic enough, he certainly couldn't wrap his head anything involving a tree. This was somewhat unfortunate; although only about a fifth of Inferni's territory was actually forested, it probably comprised about one third of their border. In theory he could lend the shorter man a hand, but his "to do" list was growing by the minute and he wasn't sure he should undertake anything extra until a couple of the existing items were crossed off. Anselm wasn't the sort to make promises that were too easily broken.
@&#&$A pit was much more comprehensible but he could only imagine how bloodied their paws would be by the time they dug to the bottom of just one deep enough to trap any sizeable prey. Even with shovels and pitchforks, their hands would be calloused and sore. The depth needed to successfully entrap a werewolf was even less likely; anyone with half-decent upper body strength would simply hoist themselves out. At the moment he wasn't sure whether he was thinking more of foes or food--a well fed army was just as important as anything. On the subject of food, Cotl didn't seem to pay any mind to the portion of the rabbit he'd offered up, instead going on to explain that more effective traps were constructed of metal as he had originally suspected.

@&#&$"You know Cassius?" he wondered suddenly; even if he could not immediately be useful, he could at least point the German in the right direction. "He's good with mechanical stuff. Maybe he'd be able to lend a paw with the metal working; seems like there'd be some overlap, yea?" Like Cotl, Anselm's skill sets were varied, random, and usually not taken to the deepest level. The chocolatey coyote seemed more adept in this area, however, and he was sure that they were all looking for ways to contribute to Inferni's cause. Anselm wanted Cassius' help with the greenhouse yet, too, but the stage he'd need the goggle-toting 'yote for was still a ways off.
@&#&$He remained silent for a moment, racking his brain for more information that might be useful. "I'm not actually sure if you'd find anything like that too deep in the city... if anything that'd be toward the outer reaches or even out in the wilderness, in a cabin or something." Humans hadn't really needed bear traps deep in the urban jungles of brick and mortar, after all. "Maybe even an old farm house, anywhere they kept livestock." Now that he'd seen Phoenix Valley's sheep he actually understood this concept. Those animals were too dumb to avoid predators on their own; they'd probably needed protection.
@&#&$"But yeah," he confirmed, his tail flopping to one side. "I've never seen our ranks so full, to be honest," he added. The number of new scents that had turned up on the border within the past week were pretty mind blowing. "Everyone's gonna have to keep up their strength, y'know?" Another pause. "And maybe if we get creative enough, we'd find a way to throw any intruders for a loop." If only he knew the Dahlians had been dealing with bear traps for months already.

OOC: Alli made this table <3 SSWM: 442

You know Cassius? of course the male new Cassius. The boy lived in his house. Cotl wasn't really a naturally secluded person. If someone was in his house, and he heard them, he was going to investigate, just like he had when he had met Halo. It actually killed him not knowing who she was before he met her simply because she was being evasive, and he didn't like it really. He had caught her on a rainy day as well, after he had come back from doing his rounds for his traps and patrol around the border. He's good with mechanical stuff. Maybe he'd be able to lend a paw with the metal working; seems like there'd be some overlap, yea? the male went on and spoke. To Cotl, Cassius didn't seem like a metal bender, but more of a mechanic. He would be able to put them together, which Cotl could also do, but he doubted that the other male would have very much knowledge about actually metal bending and sharpening. I would imagine so.-MONKEY SHIT- We'll have a discussion when I get back to the Mansion. the male spoke, nodding his head slightly. He'd have to remember that he needed to talk to the other male.

I'm not actually sure if you'd find anything like that too deep in the city... if anything that'd be toward the outer reaches or even out in the wilderness, in a cabin or something. the male added. Cotl figured the male would be right, but Cotl also thought at one point that they would have a store somewhere in Halifax that would sell the dangerous traps. Of course they wouldn't be sold anymore, but he figured that there would be some left from the apocalypse of the humans. He didn't know. He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe even an old farm house, anywhere they kept livestock. Anselm continued to speak to him. The only farm house I really know about is the stables within the Aniwaya territory. the male spoke, shrugging his shoulders again. He hadn't been within very many of the packlands, and he couldn't really think of an old barn house that was still around besides the stables in Aniwaya.

But yeah, I've never seen our ranks so full, to be honest, Everyone's gonna have to keep up their strength, y'know? And maybe if we get creative enough, we'd find a way to throw any intruders for a loop. the male spoke. Cotl nodded his head. His clan was somewhat bigger than this one, though he had never seen the mass amount of joiners that would come just at the perfect time for war. They all came just for the war it seems. -NYEH-So many of them showing up right when we declare war. Kinda strange to me. Und ja, I'm sure we won't have much of a problem getting -SCHIEß- creative with this. We have more than enough smartasses to help out. the male spoke, knowing that he would need to get started on these things rather quickly. A lightbulb seemed to go off in the male's head as he took a step closer to the male. He wanted to check and see how his tattoo was healing up. How's your ear, by the way? the male cleared his throat.

sprechen

@&#&$"If you head up north to Drifter Bay, of all places, there's an entire village," he said simply. Amongst the ruins of this old farming community he'd found his prized hand drill in addition to a few other useful odds and ends. As far as he knew, nothing in the former Amish settlement required electricity to work; this was the primary reason he took interest in the place (obviously he associated it with no particular religion or culture--humans were humans to him and that was that). It wasn't awfully far from Inferni, either, and the coyotes were unlikely to run into hostile wolves with it being so far out of the way. It would hardly surprise him to hear most were unaware of its existence at all. "There aren't any major roads so it can be sort of tricky to find. Some paths through the woods, but they're no better worn than deer trails and they get pretty convoluted," he explained.
@&#&$With no significant landmarks or heavily worn routes, it'd be hard to give proper directions. He'd only found it after days of wandering in the past--if he didn't escort Cotl personally, the dog hybrid might take just as long to pin down its location. "Hell, we can give it a shot now if you'd like," he offered, eyeing the uneaten portion of the rabbit pointedly. If Cotl wasn't going to take it, he wasn't going to let it go to waste; he found it sort of bizarre the younger canine hadn't devoured his share already as Anselm had minutes earlier. "It's closer to here than Halifax, at any rate," he concluded with a shrug. "Either way, I'm tempted to agree. The colder months always reel in the refuges, but to get so many biters during wartime is pretty damn strange," he said with a frown; he was glad he wasn't the only one to find it peculiar.

@&#&$"Ear's doin' alright, though," he said, flicking it and inclining his head slightly so the other male could see. He found the ear tattoo easier to keep clean than either of the other two he'd gotten--the one on his hind foot had easily been the worst.

OOC: I think it'd be better if you pped them walking, simply because Cotl doesn't know if they should bring Maschine, I hope this is fine with you. <3 SSWM: 439
Everyone wants a piece of my WORLD
Everyone wants to get in my...PANTS
Why they wanna go, I do not know!

Anselm explained that there was a whole village up the Bay line (which of course was one of the many places that Cotl frankly didn't adventure to) and Cotl listened intently. The male went on to speak about the pathway to there as well. Cotl's brow twitched as he said that there wasn't a clear path. This meant that he should leave Maschine in the packlands. Cotl nodded his head. I guess Maschine is going to be left behind on this one. -SLAVE DRIVING BITCH- I mean, if the path is too dense for him to fit through easily.. the male spoke as he finally looked back down to the half of the rabbit that the male still had at his feet. He hadn't wanted it, but he had realized that the other male had been looking at it as a subtle reminder that he had it there. The other continued to speak, and Cotl sat down on the ground for a minute and picked up his portion of the meal. He ate it rather quickly, like he had been hungry(which he had been, but he was ignoring his growling stomach) all while listening to the other male speak about this said village that would have the traps that they needed to place at their borders. Once he had finished his part of the rabbit, he looked back up to the male, his tongue rolling across his lips several times to get the blood cleaned off of it. We can head over there now.-NYEH- Maschine can stay here, unless we would need him to carry things? the male spoke, the statement turning into a question in the middle of it.

The other male agreed with him about the mass amount of new scents, new faces (which he had yet to really meet any, but the new scents around the borders and packlands were not only alarming to the male, but they were also strange to find so many at the same time). Cotl simply nodded his head at the statement of the other male. Very strange indeed. he spoke, nodding his head lightly as he pushed himself up from the ground and brushed the access snow from his pelt. The other male tilted his head towards Cotl, so he could see the other's tattoo, and Cotl did see it, the bomb healing rather nicely as he could tell from this far away. It's looking very nice. -FICKEN SCHLAMPE- You're doing awesome at taking care of it. the male spoke, being interrupted by his German outburst for a second before continuing on with the sentence like he always did.

Sprechen. Denken hart. Wandernd.

@&#&$The copper hybrid blinked as he paused to consider Cotl's point. "Huh, I think you're right," he said with a lopsided frown--he wasn't used to accounting for anything beyond his own girth in travel. "Those paths are travelled so infrequently I usually stick to four legs myself." Even weaving through the thick brush on two legs was obnoxious. Obviously they wouldn't have to worry about vegetation right now, but the routes were still somewhat overgrown and the bare sticks would prick them as they walked. Anselm intended to shift down to his lupus form for the first leg of their trip, finding even the secui's bulk an inconvenience--they'd sort out specifics when it was no longer avoidable, for undoubtedly they'd require hands to carry whatever they found back home.
@&#&$"I reckon Maschine will be alright while we're gone, eh?" Anselm supposed most of them would recognise the horse as Cotl's--its scent and tracks were common occurrences on the borders. All those new faces who hadn't been present during their meeting made him somewhat uncertain, but he decided any extreme concerns were unfounded. The horse was not stupid--a well-placed blow with one of its hooves would fuck up even a fully shifted luperci's day, and as the animal was in healthy condition it'd be able to outpace any attackers, too. Last but not least, any long term member who overheard the hypothetical commotion would surely step in and intervene. He figured the stallion could be left either in the centre of their territory or on the border once he physically could not go any further--that'd be up to Cotl, of course.

@&#&$Anselm was rather unfamiliar with how such things worked. The closest relationship he'd ever had to Cotl and Maschine's was with Abraxas, and here he wondered how the little red bastard was doing. The two canines had always maintained very separate lives--as things stood, he hadn't seen the fox in well over a year. He had noticed that the Imaginifer and his companion were far more inseparable. For now, though, there wasn't much they could do--the equine would have to sit this one out. After Cotl finished eating, Anselm began to guide them toward their northern border. "'n yea; thanks again, man. Caught a glimpse of it in a mirror the other day, 'n it's a fine piece of art," he complimented; Anselm had grown rather fond of his tattoos.

OOC: Jacoby would have no clue how to fix it if you did. I only have IE und Firefox and it works right for me in both T.T also, I went ahead and ppd them going. SSWM: 533
Now this looks like a job for me
So everybody, just follow me
Cause we need a little, controversy
Cause it feels so empty, without me

The other male had begun with a slightly confused look that was flashed to him. He then explained that he would more than likely be too rough for the horse to tag along. Cotl looked at the equine. Maschine, you'd be staying, buddy. the male spoke, his hand petting his horse's muzzle as somewhat of an apology or sorts before he cleared his throat and looked back to Anselm. Anselm then verified that the horse would be staying back. Cotl nodded his head and then proceeded to bend his form to the ground. He stood on all fours, his mind concentrating on his secui form (he wasn't willing to go all the way down to Lupus, simply because he was small enough in Secui form). The male began to morph, the transformation being somewhat strained, simply because he didn't shift too often these days. He went through his body twisting and turning as he shifted, and all in a matter of two or three minutes, he was fully in secui form. His secui for was much shorter, and much lighter than the other male's, simply because he was a smaller male that Anselm and his part wolf blood had been. Bi-colored orbs looked at the other male as he looked up finally. He then looked to Maschine once more before figuring that the equine would be fine without the rider.

The male turned to the other, waiting for him to possibly go down into lupus form. The other male said thanks to him before he did so though. Not a problem, man. -FICK- The bud you gave me is pretty good. Probably the best I've had in a long while. the rust male explained, nodding his head lightly to the other. The two took another few minutes to get ready, and once they were officially ready, Cotl took his place behind the other male. Anselm would be leading the way to the secluded village that Cotl had no clue existed. The two were quick to take off though, once they had, Cotl having sort of a harder time staying behind the male, simply because he was always taught to run his hardest, and his hardest was simply faster than the larger wolven. Cotl had a lot less bulk to throw around, so he was faster than most of the wolves, and coyotes that he knew. he was just built for the speed rather than the strength. He had been stronger than say, his brother, but not stronger than perhaps Anselm would be.

The two ran through thin paths, dodging trees, and low hanging branches as they moved on and on. It took them a good while to get where they were going, mainly because it seemed like as soon as one of them would get loose, the other would get stuck. It took them a good half of an hour to get to the village, but once they were there, they were obviously there. There were old buildings that barely were standing there still, plenty of old barns that they could raid. Cotl looked to Anselm. This is the place, ja? the male asked, bi-colored orbs looking out to the village and it's devastation.

Sprechen. Denken hart. Wandernd.

@&#&$Anselm practised a number of things regularly (if not compulsively), and shifting between his three forms was but one of them. In addition to his sprints, jogging, pull-ups, sit-ups, unarmed spars, and weapons training, he liked to use all three forms for each. Obviously he could not wield a weapon on four legs, but he could still work on evasion and attacking the weapon arm (as he'd done on the day of Andre's death). As with anything he put his mind to, he found his transformations growing more impressive by the day. At four years of age, he could now control which parts of his body changed first; he could undergo the entire process start to finish within only two and a half minutes. Needless to say, he was used to others taking a few extra minutes. That said, Cotl's rate was still pretty respectable and he found he didn't have to wait long after he'd reverted fully to his native state.
@&#&$"Glad to hear it's treating you all right," he offered as they walked. "There'll be more variety next harvest... supposing I get at least some time to myself between all the bullshit for this war," he said with a soft snort, red eyes rolling briefly. While Gabriel hadn't forbidden him to go down to the city (and he doubted the leader would), Anselm wasn't sure if he'd have enough time to do anything substantial before rushing back home. Just a quick glance to make sure everything was in order was about all he could afford. He didn't think he'd get around to building his personal greenhouse until Haku was but dust and bone--all the more reason to hate him, he supposed. Anselm didn't really appreciate interference with his personal life goals, but unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. Maybe he could reserve a small portion of Inferni's greenhouse to get his poppies going; hopefully everything would be said and done by the start of the growing season, and he'd be able to plant whatever seeds he collected from the new plants in time for a full opium yield in the fall. It might have been wishful thinking, but he still didn't think it would be impossible.
@&#&$They made okay progress through the dead forest, Anselm's ears ever open for any calls from the south that might beckon them back home prematurely. Fortunately they travelled uninterrupted, and as they made their way into the final clearing Anselm began to shift back up. By the time they reached the first building, he could stand on two legs once more. He shoved open the door and was greeted by a waft of musty, mouldy air. His nose crinkled and he sneezed off to the side before slamming the door back shut. "Seems like a residence. We need to find one of the storage or supply sheds... maybe an actual barn." He stood on his tiptoes and scanned the horizon like a prairie dog before giving up and settling back to the ground. The little Amish community was more expansive than he realised. "I'm pretty sure there's one down that road to the left, not sure though," he said with a shrug. "Want to split up? Give a yowl or whatever if you find what you need, eh?" he wondered--it had worked out well enough for them in the department store.

@&#&$"Not quite. Think more exotic," he replied with an impish grin. Anselm had never been much of a hardcore weed aficionado; he didn't pay much attention to the strain as they all more or less produced the same net effect. Smoking had always been more of a casual, relaxing thing than a dedicated lifestyle, and in line with his "jack of all trades, master of none" philosophy, he'd never delved too deeply into the details. If he did enough research he might recognise the value of at least one indica and one sativa strain--possibly a hybrid of the two--but at present customers seemed happy with his existing product and he considered that realm pretty well covered. Maybe if someone else in the area started to pursue the same business he'd be forced to consider a greater selection of the herb to keep up with the competition, but for now (ah, the luxuries of a monopoly) he was content to investigate his options as far as opium and home brewed alcohol were concerned. If he could find viable spores, he wanted to get some mushrooms growing, too.
@&#&$"But I reckon you're right," he conceded with some resolve. "No sense in abandoning all of my personal projects just 'cause Haku wants to terrorise us--even when we manage to kill him, if he managed to exert that much control over our psyches he'd have still won in some sense, anyway," he decided, the philosophical insight somewhat out of place for his usual "stick strictly to business" demeanour. In reality, it bespoke his positive sentiments toward Cotl, the quirky little fellow who he now considered a friend. Anselm never delved into highly personal discussions with folks he wasn't close to (or rather fond of), and as far as he was concerned, his general thought processes were highly classified information (this was a function of his paranoia, something kept so well under wraps that nobody would ever be the wiser). "Anyway, catch you in a few," he said with a merry nod as they turned and parted ways.

@&#&$Anselm went off to investigate in the opposite direction of the Imaginifer, and by the time Cotl's cry sounded he'd only found one thing of interest. By the time he approached the smaller male he was swinging that item expertly through the air with a huge grin. "Look what I found, eh? Oughta make our trip back home a little easier," he remarked, his toothy grin reflecting (barely) on the broad side of the machete. Obviously they'd have to be shifted to carry the traps--this would make navigation a little bit easier. "What'd you turn up?" he wondered, blinking around the inside of the old barn.

ooc...Aww, bromance...PFTT J/k xP SSWM: 770 - I FINISH SSWM NOW!

Before the two had parted, His friend had told him to think more exotic. Cotl would take this and think about it while they were apart, simply because he found it as a challenge since the other male had not come out and said what his new product would be. He stored this away for later when the other male had spoke about how Cotl was right about Haku having control over them enough to control their lives. Cotl didn't think as deep as the other male had done, but the other's philosophy seemed to work as an in depth point of view. Cotl nodded his head lightly and shrugged his shoulders as a response, not really having much to say on the subject before the two split up.

When the male had yowled for him to come, the Imaginfer had entered back into the barn, and he mounted himself on the saddle that he had found, finding that the foot holders were at a good length for him, and that it would more definitely fit the girth of his steed. He would need to think of a way to bring this back. Perhaps he would be able to carry it on his back or something. He thought about it for the amount of time it took for his Optio to come in. Once the male had made it in, he held (or rather swung around) a machete. Cotl smiled lightly. Great find there, Anselm,-NYEH- if I do say so myself. the male commented on it, nodding his head as he agreed with the statement that the other male said about making it easier to get back home to Inferni. Anselm was also quick to ask what Cotl had come up with. The Imaginfer smiled lightly and dismounted the saddle. Well, I found that saddle that I could use for Maschine. I could made pockets on it so he can carry things as well. But other than this, I found just drei traps. the male spoke, nodding his head and moving to the counter he had laid them on. Two of them are in pretty awesome condition, while the third one needs some oil in the joints before he put it down, because it is sticking because of the rust.-FUCKING CUNT BAG- the male spoke to the other as he picked up one of the traps. We're also going to have to fix the chain on this one as well, but that wouldn't be much of a problem either since I found one that was pretty strong looking. the male spoke before he began to pull open one of the other, more new traps that worked better. He figured he would demonstrate how this trap worked to the male so that the other one would know. Once he had gotten the jaws to be open on the table, and the latch was set, the Imaginfer got another piece of wood and motioned for his friend to move closer so he could explain. Once the male was close and looking at it, Cotl started. These are my favorite traps, since they are basically genius. What happens is, you put some camouflage over the open trap, which would be attached in the ground with a buried chain, it should be attached to something that will not move that's in the ground, and then the dirt packed around it as best as it can be. Then, when little old wolf come walking in the wrong place- the male thumped the wood on the table a few times to demonstrate someone walking. He pressed the stick in the trap's latch and the trap immediately snapped shut around the wood, making it crumble. little -FAGGOT ASS BUTTMUNCHER- wolfeh looses his fucking foot. the male spoke, giving a small giggle as he looked to the other male.

Cotl nodded his head lightly. These were the traps that humans used to take down bears, and pretty much anything. -NYEH- It's very effective, and if done right, you will have yourself an effective trap. the male spoke, nodding his head. Do you want to fan out and search a bit more now you know what you are looking for? Cotl asked Anselm, figuring that since he had not come with a trap, that he didn't really know what he was looking for. I'm sure that there are others around here,-MYEH- especially since I already found three. the male continued on, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to fan out again and try and find some more. After all, they didn't want to leave anything left for the Dahlians to scavenge.

@&#&$Although the significance of a saddle was lost on him from the rider's point of view, he could still appreciate the notion of pockets and the hauling capability that followed. He could pull a decent amount of weight on his own (in his secui form especially)--given that a horse was even larger, he supposed it made a lot of good sense to put the animal to work in such a way. If anything, a legitimate harness and sleigh would be even better (assuming there was snow cover, of course). Hell, he'd seen a couple of dilapidated carts laying around--if they could find one with a good set of wheels, maybe they'd even have some large-scale freighting options come summer. Rather than say anything--he wasn't sure how much was within his right to suggest, as the animal belonged to the other canine--he simply offered an appreciative nod.

@&#&$As the smaller man began to explain the trap, his dark-tipped ears cupped forward and he listened carefully. He noted every detail as Cotl set the trap--the way he pried the two jaws apart, the way he got his own hand out without it going off. At the finale of the Imaginifer's demonstration the trap snapped shut, splintering the small piece of wood and causing the scout's eyes to widen in surprise. It made sense that the mechanism was a fast one--otherwise the victim would have time to see it coming and get out. Still, to see something as unyielding and hefty as metal move so quickly was rather impressive. He bent down on all fours and sniffed at the sprung trap lightly, then eyed the latch and springs. Before long he could visualise the process mentally--once satisfied with his little thought experiment, he back stood up. He tested the weight of the thing with his right hand; it weighed at least 30 pounds easy. If Cotl already had three it was shaping up to be a long walk home.

@&#&$"We should be able to manage half a dozen between the two of us, but just barely. If we find much more y'might need to make a second trip later with a bigger crew," he said. While Anselm was in remarkably good shape, he understood the simple physics behind hauling on order of 100 lbs literally dozens of miles through rough terrain. The saddle would add additional weight, plus its awkward shape would make navigation through the thick vegetation interesting. Between the weight itself and taking time to clear a path, he figured they wouldn't be rolling into Inferni until this time tomorrow. They'd have to put shit down, clear a path, go back and retrieve their stockpile, and repeat as many times as necessary--more than likely, they'd have to stop often to rest (with at least one major break for sleep). The task was certainly not trivial but the reward they would reap for their efforts made it worthwhile.
@&#&$It was a shame that the streams and creeks all flowed away from Inferni here toward the sea--otherwise they might've been able to build some sort of raft and float them all the way back using the natural currents. Unfortunately geography was not on their side. There wasn't anything left to do, then, but hop to it. And so, with a quick nod he bade his companion a temporary farewell. "Aight. I'll figure out what else I can scavenge 'n I'll meet you back near the forest where we came in when I'm ready." He made his way back outside the barn and set out looking for another.

@&#&$The scout only managed to locate two more traps but it seemed as if Cotl had their bases covered several times over. Anselm's head tipped slightly as he regarded the small stockpile of metal and his nose crinkled as he allowed the two he was holding--one on either side--to fall roughly to the ground. "Ack, ya should've called if you'd already found a full set," he said, regarding the two he'd found somewhat dejectedly. How the smaller man had managed to gather them all up so fast was remarkable on its own--maybe Cotl was fooling them all, maybe he was some kind of canine superman! Obviously Anselm was pretty sceptical, of course. Even with all of his regular training and exercise this was going to be one hell of a task... hauling even more weight would set them even further back.
@&#&$"What time you looking to get back, man? I figured with the six we might be able to pull it off in a day, accounting for time to rest... with even more, though, it could easily be pushing two," he said with a small frown. They'd get worn out that much faster and take that much longer to recover--it wasn't necessarily a linear thing. Having forty to fifty miles of rough terrain to cover on two legs was inefficient by itself... adding 100 lbs of cargo a piece would prove to be no small feat, but to go ahead and bump that number up an additional 30% seemed pretty obscene. While he'd taken innumerable two to three day long journeys in the past, with the omnipresent threat of war he was disinclined to stray away for more than 24 hours. What if something came up?

@&#&$He supposed they preferentially select those in optimal condition--in that case they could easily be back down to their original projection of half a dozen. If Cotl wanted to come back for the other two and any others they missed with more manpower he'd have a good head start. He already suspected there wouldn't be enough gain for all the extra effort to make the additional burden worthwhile, but he continued to mull it over as he went to fetch the machete (which, as a preliminary measure, he'd stashed nearby). "I 'unno. Maybe stow those two away; doubt anyone'll disturb 'em," he said, gesturing to the two most rusted traps. "Future trips will be easier since the path'll already be cleared, anyway," he added decisively--there was really no reason for them to stretch themselves thin now. With a shrug, he pushed into the forest and began to clear a path with the machete.