[html] They could hunt something small and then talk?
The sun was getting a little nearer to the horizon, but she continued to look anyway. Ember had been spending a lot of time at Tayui's place with her and her puppies, trying to help out in whatever way she could, and in turn she had neglected to build herself sufficient shelter against the nighttime cold. She had been staying in a cave near to the mother's den, but it had only gotten colder and colder this last week and the cave's mouth hadn't kept the warmth from her fire in as well as she had thought it would. So she would have to make herself a new one.
She rubbed at her healing arm a little, massaging the muscles there. The cold didn't help with the stiffness, but at least it was only that; stiffness, and not pain. That was good. She was hoping to get some hunting done tonight, to bring something back for the white wolf. She hadn't been asked to babysit yet, which she was thankful for [she didn't know a thing about pups, really], so she would hunt for Tayui whenever it was needed. That way she wouldn't feel the need to leave the pups with Ember for very long. Pups were fragile little things, and she didn't want to screw up and end up messing one of them up.
She reached the area around the border, prime hunting territory, and began the search. She could deal with one more night in the cave, and start working on a new den in the morning.
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cakeSounds good! :]
cakeThe trees were sparse, and through them, the dark wolf had been tracking a boar. He was against the wind, downwind from the prey animal, and following its scent was easy. Tucked into the black band around his wrist was his balisong -- as per usual -- and in his hand was a hunting spear he had recently fashioned. He had no intention of eating the animal immediately, provided he were able to kill it; recently in the city he had found a treasure, a factory and warehouse that had kept and mass-produced table salt. With this, he could preserve meat, and that was his goal that particular day.
cakeIn the quiet rush of the forest, Bane caught another scent that mingled with the boar's musky smell; a pack? This was the one he had noted when he had met that strange fellow in the ancient castle. His hunting expedition brought him close to the borders, but he kept a decent distance away, hoping the boar wouldn't enter the territory. He was a man with respect, and respect dictated that trespassing was rude. With these thoughts on his mind, he found himself noting something more familiar in the air, something that was mixed with the scent of the pack: Ember the Specter. She was nearby, even.
cakeTemporarily, the man left behind the animal and tracked his patient instead. She was easy enough to spot between the thinning vegetation, and as his long strides brought her closer to him, he called out. "Good evening, Miss Phoenix!" Throwing the spear over his shoulder, he smiled at her. "I've caught the scent of a boar nearby; care to join the hunt?"
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It was quite a bit brighter outside than it had been the last time that she had encoutered Bane, and now she could see him more clearly. She wouldn't have recognized him, almost, except for his voice. That had been one thing that she knew she wouldn't forget, no matter how much time had passed. Ember had a fairly low voice herself, but his was much lower. She hadn't been able to see him all that well back then, but she'd heard him clearly. The sun broke through the clouds momentarily overhead and she looked up at it before turning her attention back to the visitor. "Good evenin'. Nice spear," She pointed to the weapon. What was he doing all the way out here with a spear?
Maybe he was just wandering around, like she used to. There were times when she missed her loner life. Being able to go anywhere without worrying about having to go home to a pack. But AniWaya was pretty loose; she hadn't had anyone tell her that she had to stay there every night...so she could still wander when she chose to. "And I thought you just came here to check up on me" She said, grinning. "Joking. I was just thinking of a hunt myself. One of my friends recently had some pups--I figured she could use some fresh meat. If you don't mind me taking some home for her, anyway" She didn't think that he'd have a problem with it, but she didn't know for sure.
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cake"Thank you, ma'am," he replied with his signature smile, holding the spear loosely over his shoulder. Her following words coincided with his thoughts, as he eyed her collarbone and hand; in his head, he wondered if she had been taking the morphine he had given her. It was a wonderful drug for ignoring those things which you didn't want to focus on, mental or physical. Either way, it was irrelevant. She looked much healthier than she had last time they had met. And less hungry, and in a pack. This pleased him, from a purely professional point of view; as he had told her, he liked it when his patients took care of themselves.
cake"Of course not. A new mother has more use for food than I do. And as for your injuries, Miss Phoenix, I knew they would heal because I knew you would look after yourself." She had accepted his invitation, and he turned back, intending to head back towards where he had left off. "I see you've joined a pack; was this the one you mentioned previously?" As he walked, he spoke, his voice quieter now to keep from disturbing the silence too much. His nose was to the air, eyes somewhere else, distant and dark behind his glasses; a part of his mind was wholly separate from their conversation, focused on thoughts of the hapless animal they were to bring death to.
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She had given herself a haircut, one that she really liked. Before, Ember's mane had been a long, tattered mess...but now that it was brushed out and cut it didn't look too bad. Her bangs were cut at a slant, shorter at the right and longer at the left. The rest of it was straight down her back. That was something that she hadn't known, that her hair could lay flat. She just had to brush it every day.
"Awesome! I know she'll be happy. She always takes real good care of me, so now that she's down I gotta take care of her." She was still grinning that strange grin. When she realized it she stopped, taking a more serious expression. She hadn't really thought that he'd come out to this area, this far away from everything...it was a pleasant surprise. "Yep! This is AniWaya. And I made a new friend, a whale named Utriu. He's great--I think you would really like him. A quiet fellow, though." She walked along beside him, looking at the path ahead. She was sure he'd tell her when they hit the right area, the place the boar had been at before.
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cakeEmber spoke, and Bane watched her, putting to use the eyes he had in the back of his head. He saw the terrain around them, he saw the sky, the sparse trees, he saw the boar's prints as they began to near the place he had found the animal originally. He saw her formerly injured hand, watched it move, he saw that strange grin on her face fade. He smiled as he watched that, and in his mind registered the name and scent of the pack she called her own now. AniWaya. Vaguely, he wondered what it meant.
cake"A whale," Bane repeated. His head was turned away, focused on the area, but as the idea dawned on him, he turned and looked at her, that smile still there. If his eyes, his face, weren't so guarded, if he weren't so apathetic, there might have been more disbelief there. "I suppose I shouldn't judge your taste in companions, Miss Phoenix." She was, after all, keeping his company. For that matter, he was the one going around with halflings and coyotes. A scent on the breeze caught his attention and he lowered himself further to the ground, pointing with the spear he held towards several trees in the distance. If they were to watch long enough, they would see the grass move.
cake"Care to ambush it?" He questioned, glancing over at the girl. Largely preferring to hunt in his Secui form, the only thing it was good for, he could still made do two-legged, as long as he had a weapon. If she could startle the boar in his direction, he could take it down easily with the element of surprise on his side.
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She was most definitely happier now that she was living in AniWaya. Before, when she had been injured, Ember had allowed herself to go hungry rather than asking for help. She hadn't liked asking people to help her, not when most of the time she hadn't been willing to help them in return. She was still the same wolf as before, as brave and stubborn as ever, but Tayui had taught her that it was alright to ask for help when you needed it.
"Yep. I don't discriminate." She said, looking up at the snow ahead of them again. The vegetation here made it easy to see the path that the animal had taken; broken twigs and stomped plants littered certain areas. "You don't ever talk to 'em? This whale has some pretty interesting things to say about the sea." The ocean was an unknown world, really. She'd only gone into it for very short amounts of time.
"Sure. What direction should I come at him from, though?" Were there any areas that would be easier for him to take the boar down in?
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cakeIf she didn't discriminate, that was at least one of them who didn't. Bane himself, before being forced to make his trek back to his birthplace, had considered wolves the very top of the food chain, above all others, all the lower creatures who would have him deign to waste his time on them. He had only changed now because he was adaptable, and recognised the importance of fitting in with ones' surroundings. A whale was a different matter; a whale was a creature who existed in a world Bane wouldn't be able to visit for excessive periods of time. Nonetheless, he smiled at the girl, looking down at her briefly. "I imagine he does," he stated. "You'll have to introduce us one day."
cakeAt her question, the dark wolf glanced around and nodded towards an area that was clear of trees. The snow was pristine white, and the ground was marred only by a few bushes. "If you can get around him, guide him towards that area. I've got a good enough vantage point from here, I'll be able to catch up. If he decides to turn, I can startle him with the spear." In the distance, he could barely see the animal now, sniffing at the ground as it moved along. Looking at the weaker-minded prey animal only confirmed Bane's view of the world. They, the wolves, were the dominant ones, and killing was wholly necessary. He didn't fool himself, though: one day, they too, just like the humans before them, would fall. He only hoped (as unlikely as it was) to be alive to see it.
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"Definitely." She said seriously, nodding. When he spoke again Ember perked her ears, listening to the instructions carefully. She didn't want to mess anything up; Tayui really needed this meat, and Ember hadn't had a nice fresh meal in a couple of days herself. It would be good for both of the pack members and Bane as well.
The girl understood what he was saying, but didn't say anything more. She knew of the importance of silence during a hunt. And she didn't want to break his attention, either, if he was getting focused as well. She started off into the woods to locate the creature, circling widely around behind it and creeping up slowly. She could see the area that Bane had specified in the distance, and the boar snuffling at the snow on the ground.
Ember cocked one ear back, listening and watching the creature and its movements. After a little while she crouched down, moving a bit closer. Then a bit more. So far, so good. She counted down; three....two....one! And lept up out of the brush, running at the boar with a growl.
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cakeMakin' it quick. I hate dragging on hunt-threads. :o PS, this is much longer than expected.
cakeBlack was an inconvenient colour, most particularily during the winter against a backdrop of snow, but Bane had, like many other wolves these days, learned to use intelligence as a primary weapon. This and common sense, as the humans had had, made the wolf the most dangerous animal on the planet, both to other creatures and themselves. Perfectly still and perfectly silent, Bane waited and watched as Ember left him and circled the boar. The footsteps she left behind were the only sign she had ever walked there, and they too would fade in time.
cakeIt was a young animal, though still fairly large, with tusks and sharp hooves to defend itself with, but in his entire existence Bane had never seen one purposefully attack a werewolf unless crazed or cornered. This animal seemed to be neither. Lazily it sniffed the ground, moving aside the snow to search for possible nourishment. Ember kept silent and stealthy, careful and patient enough in her movements to await the right moment. When she leapt out from where she had chosen to hide, the sudden movement and her growl breaking the stillness, the boar immediately tensed and ran like any typical wild animal. Perhaps it believed it could outrun her. Four-legged wolves were faster than the two-legged variety.
cakeTensing himself, Bane watched with his piercing blue eyes as it neared him, throwing up the snow behind it. Bracing himself as it veered around a tree, Bane lunged out, spear in hand. Startled, the boar turned, only to find the other black wolf directly behind it. With its face hidden, Bane instead aimed to maim it and with a steady arm threw the spear as he neared. Out of practice on two legs, his aim was a little off, and the spearhead embedded itself in the animal's back rather than neck. It squealed, high-pitched, in fear, and even as it did so Bane already had it by one of its back legs as he covered its mouth and nose with his free hand, a knee on its spine to hold it down. He was careful to avoid the front hooves as he did this, but didn't fear for injury either way, knowing Ember would likely have it pinned down any moment now. All they would have to do then would be wait for it to stop breathing.
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[html] nom nom nom. My table looks better in IE. -stabs at table-
This way of hunting seemed much easier than the way that she normally went about things. It was harder with just one wolf, too, she supposed. Ember did want to find a weapon of her own eventually, one that she might use to hunt...but she didn't know which to pick. There were many. She also wasn't sure about what the human city might have to offer, or what others in the area might already have. She wanted one that would set her apart from the other warriors in the tribe--something interesting.
She put her weight down onto the boar as well, helping to keep it pinned to the ground, waiting for its breaths to cease. She could feel the pulse of the beast's heartbeat under her hands, where she was putting pressure onto the animal, and she stared at her hand. Her own heart was beating quickly, as she was still recovering from the run, and for a moment she was unsure of whose pulse she was feeling; the boar's or hers.
It only took a few minutes for the creature to go limp, and she got up shakily, rubbing her hands together. "Well, that's that. Good job."
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cakeTheir combined weight easily doubled that of the pigs'; it was young and with Ember there its struggles were in vain, although that didn't stop it from trying. Though the two canines were predators by nature, taught to harbor a distinct lack of remorse by millions of years of evolution, Bane had still met wolves who preferred as quick a kill as possible. Normally the dark wolf did as well, to spare himself some time, but he wasn't the best hunter on two legs. In no way did he regret the kill, or feel pity as it struggled. It was the way things worked, the circle of life. Ember's friend, the new mother, she had to eat. Minutes passed and when it finally stopped moving, he glanced briefly at the young lady and grasped his spear, pulling it from the boar's back.
cake"Yes," he agreed, standing up. Good job indeed; it had been quick and painless. A hundred years ago, that would have taken an entire pack and a whole lot of luck. Evolution was quite the impressive thing. His glasses had fallen askew during the short struggle, and he took them off, wiping the fog off on his cutoff jeans. "Always good to know a lady who can handle herself in a hunt." As he said this, he smiled cryptically, looking at her from the corner of his blue eyes. "Care to bring it to your friend now?"
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[html] Wrap this one up? 
For the longest time, she hadn't been a good hunter. Even now she wasn't all that sure of herself, that she would be able to bring down whatever creature that she set her mind to stalking. When she'd been a pup she hadn't had to hunt very much; her father had brought her everything that she'd ever wanted or needed. The fire had changed her life, when Phoenix had disappeared. Changed almost every aspect of her life.
She pulled herself up off of the animal's body, brushing some of the dirt out of her dark coat. "Back atcha. Well...minus the lady part. It's been a while since I hunted with someone else--it's kinda nice." Ember looked at Bane, then back at the animal again. "Take what you want and I'll drag the rest back. Does that sound alright?"
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cakeSounds good. :]
cake"It's on me." The dark wolf liked to hoard necessities, and food was at the top of the list. With the discovery of the salt warehouse, he'd be able to hoard food for much longer than previously. One kill wouldn't starve him, and any wolf in the winter season was destined to lose weight either way. "Next one's mine, though." As he added this last part, for a brief moment, the old Bane returned, the man he had been before he had woken up to the shackles that bound him to the earth. This long-dead version of him looked at her with a particular shine in his blue eyes, and he half-grinned at her, but in the back of his mind the lack of formality felt surreal, uncomfortable. It vanished quickly enough. "Thank you for the help, Miss Phoenix." He knew he would see her again. Turning, the dark wolf threw the spear over his shoulder and headed home.
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