His legs extended and contracted in a long loping stride as he bounded over the drifts, seeming to float above the ground. They never broke its crust, his wide arctic paws accustomed to running atop the snow. It wasn’t his speed that he was accredited for, but his endurance and the sheer power of his size and stature. It showed itself in his every movement as he pressed on, his hind legs launching him forward and overlapping his front. The yearling kept pace with him easily he noted with a sideways glance, he could feel the warmth of her breath caressing his shoulder as they pursued their quarry. He took note of her scent upon his fur, delighting in its sea smell. It was so new and unfamiliar to him, he’d always been a wolf of the tundra. Neither was it the flowery scent of wild flowers and cedar trees that he often associated with Blind. Likewise his own scent would be integrated into her pelt. It was an earthy smell like pine needles and dirt, but there was a freshness to it, like a never ending winter, a hint of snow.
It was all to his advantage now in these long winter months, allowing him to blend in with his surroundings better than the rest of his brothers, with the exception of Shandom, perhaps- his northern brother. Or perhaps not. The black in his pelt could be just as well, making him appear to be nothing more than a shadow on the snow if he lay still enough, although it was rare, and only occurred during a hunt. He wasn’t a wolf to laze about, he had to be constantly moving, doing something or another, and with the title of Epsilon he gave his duties all he had. The scent of prey came to him then as they mounted the ridge. His pace began to slow, and his nose was put to the ground. He inhaled deeply. Despite the snow on the ground the day was clear and bright, and the scent was fresh. He’d been here. He paused a moment to look on the horizon with his golden gaze.
He soon stopped altogether and turned to Ciara. We are not going for the buck. he announced with conviction, watching her carefully for signs of question or even disappointment, ready to reprimand her if she went back on her promise. Not until I know you are ready for him. We will bring down one of his does. He paused a moment, continuing to fix her in his intense stare. If this is the buck I think it is, there will be an older female here with a slight limp. There are just two of us Ciara, and you are young. After today, if you like we can continue this, and one day claim this buck for ourselves. That is your choice. He offered not unkindly, but his mind was set, they’d be perusing the doe. His gaze turned toward the horizon again and he broke into a slow trot, knowing that the prey was near enough to notice any sign of swift movement and would bolt. They lingered just out of sight.
The scent strengthened in his nostrils and he glimpsed the buck’s antlers, but his eyes did not hang there for long. They turned towards his surroundings. He scented the air carefully and lowered into a crouch, giving the buck a wide enough birth that they would not be noticed. He exchanged a look with Ciara, a silent command that she would do the same as he. Soon enough he saw other splotches of brown beyond the beast and he paused to pick their target. The old doe was among them grazing on dead brown grass poking up from the snow. She lingered towards the back of the herd. See her, at the back. His voice was no higher than a whisper. We need to cut her off from the rest. I will get them on the run, you follow that doe. Don’t attack until we have her off on her own, and if you get close enough, try to grab her ankle. She won’t be able to kick you that way, and it may cause her to stumble. Once you have her I will cut her off at the front and she will be ours. With nothing more he crept so very slowly towards the other does. When he felt he’d gone as near as he could he leapt out of hiding, snarling viciously. They spooked as he’d guessed and he shot off after them, with one quick glance at Ciara.
.auggy b {font-weight:bold; color:#5a8a62; letter-spacing:1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.2em #08141a; }
.auggy p {text-indent:0px; padding:5px 16px; margin:0px;}
.auggy {margin:0 auto; width:450px; background-color:#3a4a4d; background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/S2AeB.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #0b052c; padding: 324px 0px 7px 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color:#708589; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.2em #; letter-spacing:.6px; word-spacing:.9x; line-height:13.3px; text-align:justify;}
.auggy p b:before { content: open-quote; }
.auggy p b:after {content: close-quote; }
</style>
[/html]