368 No more than four, please? Also, vicious skip policy pls -- no more than a week and a half on replies, please skip if someone's taken that long. Also, Mel, I do what I want and pinned this. DEAL WITH IT. (but um, yeah, unpin it if I've been a totally presumptuous ass...)
PROMPT: Have a hunt with at least two other members of Salsola. Your game should be as large as or larger than a white-tailed deer (e.g., elk, moose, etc.).
Eris is by Kiri, a gift from Sylvey!
She had forgotten what it was to walk on four legs. Remaining in her humanoid form at all times was her custom, true enough, as with most of Salsola -- but Eris had done most of her hunting in her four-legged form. She was a poor hunter, still -- what little skill she possessed after studying with Sirius had atrophied. The coal-furred wolf learned this well enough with her solo attempt, piteous as it was. She might have resorted to fishing, for that was why the weir had been constructed in the first place. She might have ordered a slave to hunt and kill for her, but what Eris sought this night was meat -- meat that walked upon four legs, an overabundance of it. She desired, too, to eat in the way her ancestors had.
Draugr had spoken emphatically regarding a particular interaction with Salvia, and the dark-hued woman would have readily accredited her inspiration for this jaunt. She feared Salvia's attendance, in truth, but this new and unprecedented front would not allow that useless feeling to interfere with duty. Her dark muzzle tilted to the sky and she called, beckoning to the hungry and the work-willing. The howl was a short one, and before its echo faded to nothing, she was on her feet and moving. Whoever attended could follow her scent trail. If nothing else, the dark woman could at least find prey -- they were abundant. Deer roamed freely about the marshes, savoring the sweet summer grasses that grew taller than her current form in places.
It was, ranging long yards from where she'd howled, that the dark-hued coyote detected a peculiar scent. Even by Salsolian prey standards, it was a stranger -- an old bull moose, perhaps wandering down from the mountains. The hybrid lingered, remaining near but not atop the scent trail. She was not long in waiting -- a sound of footsteps caught her ears. Miqui arrived and was immediately surprised by her form, but did not object to her request he shift, as well. The red-eyed coyote gave a vaguely surly look, but stripped himself bare and was a four-legged coyote, surprisingly small, in a few moments.
She had been resting in her home when the howl was sounded. She had been solitary for most of the day, spending her time with Omitl and in her sketchbook. She had missed the rather simple scenery of Salsola; she had missed much of Salsola, it occurred to her, after a moment of reflective. Even the sparse grasslands she had drew earlier. That took up most of her afternoon, and the slow day kept her active when returned to the Ruins. She decided to lay early, guessing that doing more of nothing would calm her down and allow her to sleep.
But, no peace came over her, and was half-glad to hear the call ringing out--the beckon of her mother. It spoke to her, despite it being a general message, and took no delay as she rose from the bed of furs and walked out of the stone house, the lynx staying behind, already deep into a sleep she would not disturb. The girl walked, jogged, and at times even sprinted when she felt up to it, her pace comfortable from the pent up energy that was tempting to bubble over. But, she did not exert herself to get there. Her form was already becoming smaller as she felt her body being forced to the earth, and soon she was hobbling along on her four legs. The limp was terribly unsightly, and attempts were made to stiffen her leg and hide it, but it did not help.
Figures appeared before her, and she smiled softly at her mother, but when her vivid, critical eyes laid their sights on Miqui, she gave nod, her face unsmiling. She was respectful, but only because of the man's rank. Other than that, the girl merely ignored him, her attention engulfed by Eris. She was silent, sensing that large prey was near, but gave a look at the dark woman that spoke her greeting enough, and an eagerness to aid in the hunt. Part of her was worried that her leg would get in the way, but her urge to please outmatched the concern.
At times, the young male wondered exactly how creeped out Eris would become, had she known how he oftentimes followed her delicious scented trail. Pandemic was corruption in the bloom. Although certainly not the surprise popping out of Pandora’s box, but definitely not a white handsome prince on top of a glorious steed. He was dressed in black and terrible size, yet she had still claimed him. The son was alright with this, ignorant – or perhaps uncaring – of the terrible moral blow the secret couple were to suffer once truth came out.
Onyx ears perked adoringly at his mother’s wolfish cry. Already being so close, he would have expected to be the first individual to come to the lovely woman’s side, but he found himself to be sorely mistaken. Reluctance swelled up within an enlarged heart infested by yellow puss. Stormy eyes sized up the red eyed male, not exactly with content, but definitely not with open favour. He grossly outsized the puny man anyway, and felt better once he focused on this detail. His dark, newly returned sister had also beaten him to it, and he didn’t know how to act around her.
Wretch had left and become an outcast, and that logic should have applied to Harrow, shouldn’t it? It was strange to have her back, but she was family and her return was definitely a good thing in most ways. But not in every way. He feared this could signify that he would have to begin to fight for his mother’s love. And after discovering the ways she could love him very recently, he was extremely reluctant to let her go.
The black man (also in his lupus form) moved in to give his sibling a bumpy nuzzle in greeting before he circled around to his mother’s desirable form. He padded up close to her side, and gave the yellow eyed woman a wet kiss beneath her cheek. There were other thing’s he’d rather do than to hunt, but he would have what he wanted later. The poor coyote was more or less ignored.
Word Count → 605 :: Oh, hay, family reunion. let's see how long I last in this >.> Also, I ended up being wordy. Can skip to the last two paragraphs.
Ataxia heard her mother's howl while perched upon a rock overlooking the ocean and the sea caves. Her legs dangled over the edge, Indian tobacco in one hand. She carried nothing else with her - not a single weapon, for she had no intention of traveling outside of Salsola or doing anything that might require work on her part. It was therefore unsurprising that she did not respond right away. Only when the fire on her tobacco began to smolder and fade did she ponder its message.
It occurred to her how rare it was for her mother to make such a call, since her father had died and Salvia had risen to power. Perhaps it was important, and she might need help urgently? Then again - it did not sound like an alarm call, or like the voice of someone in pain. No, she wanted help - but not that kind; it was something more mundane.
Perhaps the fact that her mother was out and about, and interacting with others at all, was significant. Ataxia came to wonder if the older hybrid had cast off the shadow of gloom that had been following her since Larkspur died. It was enough to spark her curiosity. She extinguished the tobacco's remaining embers by pressing it against the rock she sat upon, then stood up and shifted into Seculi form. Although she knew not the task her mother was asking those she called upon to preform, the young hybrid chose to shift for the sake of speed; it had been some moments since the call was given and she wanted to be sure she wasn't too late and miss what was happening. It was just a coincidence that Ataxia usually hunted in Seculi form.
The run did much to counter the tobacco's relaxing effects. Ataxia was fully awake now, and prepared for whatever may come - or rather, whatever her mother might ask her to do. Her pace slowed as the scent of her mother became stronger. She noticed, among the scents of her siblings and the distinctly coyote scent of Miqui, that there was something that smelled faintly of hooved prey. A hunt; that was what her mother wanted. Ataxia didn't think she'd ever seen her mother hunt - this would be interesting.
The young hybrid was not surprised when she found herself among the last to arrive. She gave Miqui a smile - one she thought her mother wouldn't notice - before turning her attention to her blood relations. Ataxia stared at her mother in Lupus form, which she could not recall seeing before, then dipped her head in respect. Even if they had their differences, and her mother was no longer the Auxiliary, she was still ranked far above Ataxia.
The silver wolf greeted her siblings with a look of curiosity and uncertainty. Pandemic, she knew not how to react to because he was older and had been away from Salsola so long; she did not know his personality, or what he would think of her. Harrow, on the other hand, was one of her litter-mates, and therefore had borne some of Ataxia's verbal domination. She had learned to save her tongue for more appropriate threats, and it been a long time (or so she felt) since her sister left and returned to Salsola, but her sibling might hold a grudge against her for it. In the end, Ataxia settled with a curt nod to each of them and then looked to her mother to lead the hunt. It was as if she didn't know how to show affection, or was perhaps simply incapable.
--YESSSS ALL OF MY BABIES but if there's a fourth that wants in, go for it still 8D also lol poor miqui. and this post is short and BAD sorry
Eris is by Nat!
The dark-furred woman could smell the age of the old moose. A more logical creature might have been deathly afraid -- Eris was not an experienced hunter in the least, and she would hunt it with a limping daughter. The rest of the party, herself and Harrow aside, was quite fit and perhaps capable of hunting without them. She made a decision, and upon returning Pandemic's greeting with one more subdued than his own, walked to her dark-furred daughter's side. She stood beside Harrow and nuzzled the shoulder of the weak leg, as if her touch alone could bring it back to full strength.
Miqui seemed put out entirely, and Eris understood why after a moment. She twisted her head and saw the cloud-colored form of Ataxia approaching. The chartreuse-eyed woman could not help but grin, a laughing coyote's smile that broke across her muzzle and even sent a wave through her uplifted tail. My lovely children, she murmured. Miqui had shifted his position, moving over toward her silver-hued daughter to stand closer to her. Eris paid this little mind, for her gaze locked on Pandemic's own moon-pale eyes.
Pandemic, she said, taking a step toward him. Lead us. Eating was not hunting, not necessarily -- and she might capitalize on Harrow's weakness, remaining behind with her so Eris need not engage in the hardest work, the work she was the least skilled with.
Never had he wanted to watch family members with such passive eyes, but today, it couldn’t be helped. Ataxia’s greeting made a stab at his feelings, but he swallowed it without allowing any of them to see his unhappiness. He was certain things would have been different, had he not been sent away to Freetown to spend the majority of his time in training. It was a choice he had tried to accept and appreciate, but never been able to. It hadn’t brought forth anything positive in the long run either, and it would be easy for the giant to become bitter about the matter if thoughts were to linger.
But it was becoming the past now, and time for mending had come. Pandemic couldn’t blame his siblings for not knowing him. What was important was that he knew that each and every one of them held a very special place in his heart – although none of them would ever reach the importance of Eris and Salvia. But, family truly mattered to the onyx canine, and he wished his current relationships with his siblings were different.
Wolfish ears twitched as his mother turned to address him directly, asking him to lead. Lead. Such a simple yet complex task. Pandemic wasn’t a thinker like his sister, but it would do. He knew the art of hunting, and although his experience could have been richer, he wasn’t bad. He was one big bundle of muscle, but he didn’t lack endurance either. A court nod was given to the woman he feverishly desired, and he wagged his blackened tail once before trotting on, shooting out his broad chest.
”Miqui, take far right,” the coyote could half-circle the thing, taking the path upwards the mountain. With height at his advantage, the coyote should be able to keep an eye on the old moose’s whereabouts and ensure that the animal was not allowed to flee back up along the steep terrain it probably had come from. ”Ataxia, you will come with me, taking the far left position.” There was a reason why this sibling was elected to come with him and not the red eyed coyote. Pandemic was somewhat simple, but he wasn’t blind. Known for being paranoid at times, he let his upper lip lift only slightly to reveal a sharp fang in Miqui’s direction. Big brother did not approve, and didn’t want the male to be alone with any of the females.
”You go behind,” he said, turning to peer at his mother and the remaining sibling. Perhaps having the role where it was least chance for forced chase would help the newly returned girl. Once they’d caught up with the moose, it was most likely that the three others would have to fall into heavy sprint to ensure the moose didn’t branch off and get away. They were likely to need most of the group to take it down. The male had of course placed himself strategically, quietly daydreaming of being the one to take down the old ragged herbivore and impressing the girls.
The man hesitated only slightly to see if anyone had the guts to voice complaints before they were off. The wolves were upwind at the moment, so the poor sod of a moose was probably still slowly trotting on towards its doom without a clue about the near future.
Not long after her they came, and soon they were accompanied by two of her siblings--Pandemic and Ataxia. The former, she honestly did not know well, but he was her big brother no matter what, so she flashed a somewhat friendly smile his way, though she was unsure with the action so it came out a bit crooked. But, with her sister--mixed feelings brewed within her. From the curt nod to the memories of their time together, the ones of her being pushed around by the then-darkly hued girl with her words, she wanted to feel uneasy, maybe even standoffish. But, having not seen, or better yet heard, Ataxia for a good while, she didn't know if it was right to feel that sibling distaste after all this time. She finally settled on being neutral; if the silvery hybrid had not changed during her absence, she would then revert to her unhappiness. She returned her nod, as distant as she was.
But, she became brighter as Eris seemed to finish the greeting she had with Pandemic, and pressed close to her, though the nudge against her bad shoulder did not go unnotice. She wanted to state that she could do this in case they was any doubt--she wasn't weak, she thought fervently. But, she held her tongue; if she was docile, maybe she could join in instead of staying on the sidelines. As their positions was announced, she felt disappointed--put in the back with their mother, out of the way. Again, she remained silent. She might have well been lucky not to be told that she couldn't participate, and at least she was not alone, and she pressed closer to the dark woman. Yes, she wouldn't be alone. Perhaps this was better this way; being with her mother was better than chasing after the heels of a moose, she supposed with a small smile.
Word Count → 520 :: Ataxia: *flirts with Miqui to annoy Pandy*
Ataxia remained silent as her mother announced that Pandemic would lead the group, eyes straying away only to catch Harrow's nod. Perhaps her sister had forgotten, or forgiven - or, as the paranoid side whispered in her head - was pretending to be cordial while planning revenge. The hybrid dwelled on this thought for several moments, before pushing it out of her mind. If such a thing were going to happen, there was nothing she could do about it now. Harrow probably wouldn't do anything while they were hunting, and certainty not while she was limping.
Her attention turned to Miqui as her brother announced which position he was to take. She had been so busy trying to guess her sister's intentions that she hadn't noticed the coyote pad to her side. She gave him another, briefer smile before Pandemic ordered her to accompany him at the front. At first, the young hybrid assumed that she was given this honor for being the second strongest of the group. The tip of her tail began to wag. "I'm glad you have such confidence in me, brother," she said and turned her head to face the dark male - just in time to see a flash of a white fang. She returned his expression with a bewildered look, as if she thought it was directed at her. A second later, she remembered the male standing beside her and considered the implications.
It was true that the silvery female liked red coyote, but only because he bore a resemblance to his sister Tlanti. The attraction she had to him was solely due to that reason alone; she found the female form more pleasing and would not pay attention to Miqui otherwise. Since her god valued coyotes over all others, it was natural that she would have pups with the male in Salsola that carried the most coyote blood, but she had no intention of doing anything with him until she was ready for offspring and she was smart enough to realize she wasn't ready for that yet. Ataxia had to wonder if her brother had figured out her intentions, but it seemed so unlikely since neither of them knew each other very well...
Abruptly, her tail slowed. It occurred to her that Pandemic might not be separating them because he knew she planned to have coyote pups, but because he thought she wanted to mate with him - properly, with courtship and all that entailed - and didn't approve of her choice. Ataxia was not sure whether she should be amused by his assumption, or offended that he thought he had a right to meddle in her affairs. A smart retort rose on her tongue, but she thought better of it. Instead, she gave the red male a wink, mouthed a 'good luck' and brushed her tail against his side before striding up beside her dark brother. The display was a message for him, not the poor coyote she was flirting with, but she'd momentarily forgotten that Eris might be able to spot it as well.
As the dark woman stood beside her daughter, she surveyed her darkest son with adoring eyes. She did not consider the possibility of failure, for he was her Pandemic and made perfectly in each way, as with all her children. Not for the first time, the discord between what she'd done -- shown a distinct and direct form of favoritism -- and what she purported to be -- an egalitarian parent -- grated gently against the rearmost parts of her mind. It was as a rusty hinge in some forgotten corner room door, giving the occasional low squeak on the rare occasion it was opened. She dismissed it as she had grown so capable of doing, and smiled her encouragement at Pandemic.
By the time his commands were issued and the exchange of expression occurred, however, the dark-hued woman's attentions were with Harrow. She nuzzled the charcoal-hued woman's cheek in reassurance, paying added attention to the lost child come home. Her opportunity to impart such special concern to each of her children came, however: she looked up again to spot the display on behalf of Ataxia. Eris herself gawked for a moment, her expression one of complete surprise. This disappeared immediately upon the dark woman's realization of her present situation and company, however, and Eris was quick to replace it with a smile, one she beamed feverishly toward Ataxia and then Miqui in turn. Her true feelings were not able to be discerned from this, as the dark-hued woman was already starting after Pandemic, throwing but a glance toward Miqui was he moved off into place.
Uuugh, didn't notice I kinda broke posting order last round until now >__> sorry, aly :c Once everyone has posted, I'll roll le dice and post who will make the kill
THE MOON IS FULL AGAIN
No complaints were voiced, so the organization was taken hand of. The male rarely hunted in groups larger than three individuals, and had his usual hunting partners in Salvia and Itachi, to name some. He hadn’t run with most of his siblings before, and he was accustomed to following rather than leading. He didn’t consider feeling nervous about it all, though, for that wasn’t his style. All the black beast would do was to focus on performing as well as he could. He also amused himself with the thought of the coyote male stepping wrong and fall to cripple himself or something, though that wasn’t too likely to happen.
Ataxia pushed at his brother’s buttons, but he pretended not to notice. Would she have behaved in that manner if she knew someone in particular would receive a form of punishment in the future? He didn’t care to guess, and instead picked up his pace as the party moved into position. Black nostrils flared with the scent of the unsuspecting food that soon would be within eyesight. The herbivore had possibly detected that something was off at this point though, for it seemed it was no longer moving towards them.
The D’Angelo’s great body pushed slightly against Ataxia’s position with the idea of preventing the large game to break past ahead of their position. Hopefully the foolish coyote would move accordingly on his side to even out the amount of space the live food could fall back on if it decided to change direction and head back to where it had come from. It occurred to Pan that he didn’t possess the same endurance as his more slender sibling, or his mother for that sake, but he decided it would not stop him. His position would be the ideal here, and he really wanted to impress his secret lover.
Once stormy-grey eyes caught sight of the great animal – now having sensed what was going on and was fleeing straight ahead in a relatively straight line – they did not let go. The four-legged man’s jogging pace changed into a swift, aggressive run, and though he did not take the time to turn around and check, he trusted the rest of the hunting group was following.
Harrow could not help but feel troubled as Eris looked back at Pandemic, and had to refrain herself from looking that the face that was gazing at someone, and settled her eyes on the moose ahead. It was more that she wasn't paying as much attention to her than what the gazes and touches actually meant. The girl was not one to be in the spotlight, but she definitely wanted to be the center of her mother's attention.
But, soon enough she got her wish, and it was her turn to glean special notice from the dark Crone. She pressed her black muzzle underneath her chin as she rubbed her cheek, and she allowed her tail to sway back and forth to show how pleased and satisfied she was with the motion. But, too quick and her mother's focus shifted to her sister. Childish sadness that swiftly disappeared as it came overcame her, and she looked over to where Eris was looking to see what stolen her attention away from her.
What she found was uninteresting. Ataxia was terribly and openly flirting with the Confidant, and for reasons that were obviously not linked to affection. If Pandemic was affected by it, he didn't show it, and Harrow, not really caring, did not give the event a second thought, and was glad when the hunt finally began. Like planned, her siblings went out ahead of sister and mother, while the coyote took to the path. She remained close to Eris' side, but gave some breadth between them; as she loped at a mild pace, she did not try as hard to hide the inevitable limp, and she accustomed to the movement, she would not be entirely surprised if she would trip on herself. But, she would attempt not to do so. After all, she wanted to impress her mother--and then she would be able to receive her praise and her attention.
Word Count → 294 :: Sorry, I was being attacked by midterms.
Ataxia was greatly disappointed by Pandemic's non-reaction, but there was nothing she could do about that now. Perhaps, after the hunt, she might provoke him further; then again, there might be advantages to not angering all of her family. Although she thought his disapproval was stupid - he couldn't have known anything about Miqui to judge him properly, since he'd been away from Salsola for so long - she did not want to make enemies. The young hybrid considered the idea of discussing the matter with him after the hunt.
Her eyes had been on Pandemic the entire time she flirted with Miqui, so she had not seen her mother's reaction to the display; nor had she seen Harrow's. All she had noticed when she strode beside Pandemic was her mother's smile, which she took to mean she hadn't noticed at all. The tip of her tail wagged briefly in response, then slowed as she turned her attention to their prey. For a brief moment she thought her brother's push against her was some kind of delayed response to her flirtation with Miqui, then realized he was trying to communicate that she was to move, without alerting the prey to their presence by speaking too much. She moved to the side in a corresponding position to trap the ruminant.
She took off after Pandemic as he ran ahead, fur bristling on the nape of her neck as if she were about to go into battle; which was almost true. Such a large animal could be dangerous, and she had few occasions to hunt one. She was not at all dissuaded by the danger, though; adrenaline flooded her veins and told her she was invincible. She gave a grin, tongue lolling out to the side.
