moose and wolves

[Vinsue]

Ash 24


A light snow coated the ground. A nice cold bite came with the wind and yet Vinsue was more than snug in her new coat. Her and her brother took to following the large dog tracks. The local farmers and merchants have been complaining about a pack of Dire Wolves. The problem was so bad that a notice had been posted on the job boards. So here she was. An engraved scroll tied to the base of her newly scrivened staff. The complex yet simple marks meant to capture any magic in use when she stabbed its caster. Would it work? She did not know but she did hope it would work. One day she hoped to use it to collect magics to infuse her weapons with. But that was not very important for the moment as she hunted the less magical beasts of the north.

Vinsue placed her hand next to the snow track. The track was huge, and its owner had to weigh as much as she did. If not more. She thought as she noticed the indents in the snow. The weight focused on the toes made it clear that the beast was running and the number and spread of the tracks indicated a wide stride and large pack. It had a paw with 4 toes. The claws showed in the track indicating a k9 rather than a feline. One of the tracks had 5 toes. A possible mutation? She doubted it. A shifter could be the cause. She stood up and looked at Bonzi.

“This is the group. But I don't think we are hunting regular oversized wolves.” she said. Pointing at the odd track. Bonzi simply shrugged. This was not his field of study, but he refused to let the hunter go and get herself killed and so here he was in full winter gear. With his small med kit and new weapons, he still did not understand. But he would eventually.
“So, Sis, what's the plan? Track them? Set up traps? Use a call?” he said. She shook her head. “We should find a good place to hide. Those rocks would be a good spot. Then start calling for moose. With luck we can catch both.” she said. The two of them continued towards the rocks. Both climbed to a shadowed space then found a seat. Bonzi started talking to the snow and wind. Helpful in erasing their tracks. “Think you can convince the snow to hide us?” she asked. He gave a slight nod and soon the two were covered in the powdered white sky ice. After a bit she started using her whistle to make the moose moan and grunt sounds.

For the usual hunter and the usual hunt, the resulting huff of a local bull would have been exciting. But this was not her intended target. She replied with a huff playing with the moose as she tried her best to lore it out. Slowly the large, majestic creature walked into the opening. It stood tall ready to show off his manliness. Vinsue made a sound of challenge and then a high pitch sound of distress. If only she was not on a hunt the reaction of the herbivore would have been hilarious. But it quickly recovered and charged. Only stopping to look around the rock. Vinsue completely stopped making noise as the buck got close. Not saying her next moves were right or smart, but it had to be done for the hunting tactic to work.

Slowly and carefully, she readjusted her hand around her spear. Moved into a crouch and became ready to pounce. Yes, a long-range weapon would probably bring down the beast but not where her skills lie. Besides, there is no fun in a sport that is not at least a bit dangerous. She pounced with the spear above her as she aimed for the side of the beast. Missing, she quickly landed with a role. She turned and stabbed the beast as it turned to stomp her. But she knew where to strike a large beast for the most effective kill. Her spear went through its neck into its heart. It bellowed and pushed and stomped but Vinsue stayed strong and kept it out of reach just long enough for it to die. Once dead she got to work cutting open its stomach and removing its organs. As field dressing will allow it to say good longer and the smell of busted guts is heard for a hunter to ignore. She used the snow to clean off the blood from her hands and blade then returned to her hiding spot. The snow again hid their presence. Now to wait for the real target to show.

The wait was long and honestly getting kinda boring. Not to mention the carcass was making her hungry. But she remained patient. At the cracking of a branch her gaze scanned the area one lone wolf bravely takes to the gut pile. But she was not to be fooled. There should be at least 3 of the beasts. She moved her hand to get Bonzi to wait. Soon the others of the pack joined the feast. She put her hand down. A blow nettle whipped past her head and into the body of the biggest wolf. Who yelped and nipped at it soon to fall unconscious. The other 3 of the pack immediately stiffened and turned towards the rock. Their backs arched and their teeth showed. A deep growl came from all three.

Bonzi stayed in his perch as Vinsue stood up. Her teeth showing in equal challenge. She flicked her tail and jumped down from the rock. These three younger dire wolves were not the problem she was after but were definitely in her way. The first to come at her was met with a strong down strike from the spear. A whimper escaped and it turned tail and ran off. Only to return not long after to bark. The two got closer and attacked together. A leap that she had expected. Quickly she turned her spear to impel the one and then slammed it into the other. The wolf was quick to recover and go for her throat. The other went for her back. Bonzi leased another blow needle just in time to drop the beast. Vin slid under the wolf and used its momentum to throw it. It quickly recovered and ran off. Vinsue ran towards it and huffed. The young dire wolf should not be a problem now. Not alone anyways. She quickly killed the young dare wolf close to her then walked over to the big boy. It was snoring from whatever drugs her brother put on the needle. The shot, though irritating, was in no way lethal. It missed the major vain by a good foot. She really did need to help teach her brother to aim. But it did its job. She looked at its paws. One had an extra toe and a strange patch of fur on its side.

Was this beast actually a beast or could it be signet? She hogtied it just in case. She did not plan on killing a shifter. but taking one in would possibly up the cost. Bonzi immediately made a fire to roast from the first kill. Vinsue began gutting the creatures.

[Rickter]

Moose and Wolves

Ash 24th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

Laughter was always the best form of medicine for Rickter, particularly, when it came in the cutest forms of giggles from the little ones in the living room. The House of Waves had somehow managed to become more of a home for Rickter, more than he ever anticipated, as the entirety of his pack seemed rather settled in quite well. Ever since that venture into the Warrens though, things certainly had never been the same since.

"You look like we've lost you again." His beloved teased as the blonde popped around to join him on the cushioned sofa, her expression playful while she gauged her lover's response.

Rickter's eyes moved from Hannah and the twins as she kept tickling them, pretending to be a monster as she terrorized squeals of joy from the two boys. Isaac who's hair color was more like his mother's seemed to notice something though, and while the wolf seemed content to respond to his dear lady; something else actually did catch his eye as well.

"I'm doing fine love, still adjusting to everything is all." No sooner than he made the remark, he eyed what looked to be a literal wolf walking into the room. Only it looked to be somewhat transparent, and more over-curious of its surroundings than anything. Isaac acknowledged the creature well enough, thinking it was likely connected to his dad somehow. Kendrick on the other hand was too occupied with his aunt to notice, even so the rest of the adults in the room weren't seeing the creature. Just Rickter it seemed.

"You're still going through a lot as is, I just wanna make sure you're handling everything okay." The smirk on her expression lessened as Rickter's fixation became obvious. "Rick?"

"There's something... odd happening." He admitted in a confused tone, unsure of how he wanted to express it at the moment. The wolf noticed him as he leaned a bit more forward, a hand reached out slowly as the ethereal canine approached. Hannah paused her torture to ponder at Rickter now that he seemed engaged, with Telion and the twins curiously watching him as well. Patrick's eyes narrowed as he remained seated from across the room, his feathered stylus still from where he stopped writing in his book.

As the wolf acted with the intent to sniff his hand, however, Rickter felt the air grow cooler briefly before he realized the scenery had changed. He was barefoot in his cottony shirt and trousers when he felt his bum hit the ground, his loss of balance momentarily startling as he looked about his surroundings. The ethereal wolf had brought him out into the wilds, and with his arrival, a sudden breeze from the north that brought a chill to the air. "Ah, shit..." He murmured to himself quietly as he heard the ghost wolf whine before he pushed off the ground to stand on his own two feet.

"What's this about, you?" He addressed the pup as he looked at the creature, another soft whine given to him before the point of a nose showed Rickter. The smell of blood everywhere, the opened carcasses of animals, and the subtle snores of a predator among hunters all became rather obvious. They had killed this poor animal, and now they had poached its next of kin. Rickter felt a sense of sadness for the wolves now that he didn't expect, as he'd usually consider the laws of survival a crucial element to wildlife.

But perhaps his days as a parent had contributed to his empathy, as he could not help but wonder the reason behind these hunters and their poaching. Thus his deep blue eyes brightened once more, and particles of diamond dust soon started to float into the air. "Is there a reason as to why you've hunted down these animals?" He then addressed the pair with inquisitive eyes on them, his shoulders stoic as the expression he wore seemed firm.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Vinsue]

Vinsue did not expect the sudden drop in temperature. But this was not the first odd thing she had come across in the strange land. Perhaps it was normal. Either way it was colder and she did not like the cold. She brought one of the wolves closer to the fire and helped Bonzi set up a spit and some drying racks like they would have done back home. She was about to put the pore wolf on the fire when she heard the voice. It startled her, with all the surrounding snow she should have heard someone approaching but she did not. She turned to face the stranger. Bonzi looked up but returned to work. He was hungry and knew his sister would be hungry soon. He worked on putting the skinless wolf over the fire.


Vinsue did not owe the stranger an explanation and did not intend to give one but she noticed the diamond dust. As much as she wanted to ignore the stranger it would be easier to talk with a spirit than to face one. “The five toe wolf is wanted dead for the act of constantly killing livestock.” She dug the poster out of her pocket and handed it over. “The Moose was to see if food was available. Lack of food would excuse the crime. Food is not scarce. The moose became food and a trap for the wolf. The others were part of its pack and tried to protect it. I would not have harmed them if I had a choice. I was only after five toes. But a pack will protect each other. But since they're dead I will not let them go to waste. One got away and I will leave some food as an apology." She then turned and helped her brother get the wolf over the fire.

Her brother looked up and lost his indifference. He took on a more respectful look. Then gave his sister a curious look. Being forthcoming was not like Vinsue at all. She was usually one to tell you to get lost. Then shove her spear in your side if you don't. But she was acting differently. “What? It's easier to hummer a spirit than to face one” she said. Bonzi simply shook his head wondering her explanation of that. “He's not a spirit. He has tracks,” he said. She rolled her eyes and went back to work. She was not going to let his tricks get to her. If he wasn't a spirit then what was he? She refused to think of such in case she was wrong. “Food should be ready soon if you want it.” she doubted he eat meat if he was so upset about the kill.

[Rickter]

Moose and Wolves

Ash 24th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

The black wolf's eyes assessed the situation rather plainly, seeing these two as poachers who had clearly culled a few wolves from the northlands. Depending on who you asked here in the north, some would view them simply as beasts of the wilds; while others saw them in a different and more spiritual light. Rickter was after all a black wolf, one that served the Great Noble House for a while yet.

Yet the taller of the two strangers approached him, a female from the pheromones he could smell coming off her. What surprised Rickter about this one wasn't just her height though, rather, the outward appearance she possessed now that he'd acknowledged her solely. Porcelain skin with silvery scales around her eyes, which burned like shining amber when he briefly gazed into them. It was obvious he wasn't really dressed for the outside, wearing only his leather trousers as both sun and snow kissed his furry skin lightly.

The tall broad was quick to justify their actions against the wolves, even so much as sharing the wanted ad that had been posted about them. A five-toed wolf? Well, that hardly seemed out of the ordinary to Rickter. Wolves had five claws just as mortals had five digits to count with. Yet if there was a request to hunt them down for excessive hunting, then that meant the mountains themselves were getting even more dangerous. Given the events that occurred in the past year, such as the avalanche that hit Lake Udori last Frost, it came as no surprise that the hunting grounds of the wolves would shift dynamically.

The logic of the broad before him wasn't entirely unsound, seeing as how she did provide a means of not only trapping, but feeding the rest of the wilderness after finishing their business here. A fair trade in his eyes, for the wilds were unforgiving to the unwary. She turned away to resume helping her comrade, and judging by the air of familiarity, Rickter gauged them to be close kin of a sort just from their interactions together. As she helped the lad prep the carcass over the fire, the black wolf looked thoughtfully with a somber glint in his eyes. Clearly they could not see the spirit of the wolf that brought him here, regardless, there was no justice nor punishment that had to be carried out in Rickter's eyes.

So then why? Why would a young direwolf approach him in spirit? His brilliant blue eyes rose from a mere mound of snow, where he could see the spirit laying there with muzzle tucked between his paws. The Astralar Mountains rose ever higher the further up he looked into the sky, until he could see the underside of the floating peaks hidden away within the clouds. Though the cold did not lessen the breeze did wane, the glistening dust of ice settling around him as Rickter sighed quietly through his nostrils. That's when he heard something about humoring a spirit between the two, a statement that slightly amused him enough to raise his eyebrows a little. Him? A spirit? Well...

In essence he could see how they had garnered the impression. Here was a half-naked man standing in the snow, with literal frost and wind fluttering around him upon his arrival. Awakening to these new powers of his had only been ever confusing since his trip to the Warrens...

No matter. He chuffed at the thought and crossed his arms briefly, admittedly not one to turn down food whenever it was present. "I'll consider it," he murmured toward the two almost indiscriminately, "just... gimme a moment." He then looked from them back to the wolf with sincerity, empathizing with the creature as he even knelt down to brush a hand over its ethereal fur. "Listen young one, for this is but a gentle lesson to carry through your reincarnation." He expressed quietly almost as though he were praying, even though he technically lectured the young beast calmly.

"Whatever drove your pack to such desperation I don't know. But don't carry it within your heart when you see Wraeden, for He will be the one to shepherd you and your kin into the next life." Such was the way of the cycle in this world, how life continued to flourish after death claimed something before it. The ethereal wolf whined softly to him, leading Rickter to softly smile to the beast, like a father would to a child before being tucked into bed. "You'll meet him sooner than you think, it'll be quicker than falling asleep if you crossover." The gentle rubs across the pad of the wolf's skull generated a few bats of the tail, before the young pup moved to lick at his wrist a little.

"Go on, the rest of your pack is waiting." Save for the lone survivor, although, that wolf would likely go out on his or her own now. Whether they remained alone or integrated within a new pack, such was the way of survival out here in the wilds. Thus, the spiritual wolf beneath him cocked his head to the side, before noticing something calling him in the distance beyond. Once he rose up to take off, another light breeze rushed from where Rickter had been kneeling, as he watched the spirit fade away into the wind on his own. Now, with that distraction set aside, he could finally focus on the two hunters that were still at the fire.

The smell of cooked meat already nearly made him drool, even if he felt it odd to eat from the carcass of his own kin. "Now," he lightly ruminated with a rise to his feet, "tell me more about this hunt for the 'Five-toes" that you embarked on." Although he requested such information it hardly delivered in an asking tone, as Rickter's eyes fell upon them with the curiosity of an onlooker, if anything else.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Vinsue]

Vinsue would give a slight nod when he gave an answer and asked for a moment. Spirits were weird and odd sometimes. He seemed so against the hunt and yet now he is considering her offer. Welp, She had no problem waiting for him to decide whether to eat or not. There would be plenty to eat. As of time to himself as long as he was not attacking them then she really didn’t care what he was doing. She would return to her work. She would use the furless side of the cape to put the meat on as she worked to get the meat off the bones in chunks to cut smaller when she was ready.

“What do you think he is talking about?” Bonzi would quietly ask only to have his sister quickly cut him off. “First off he is talking to a spirit or praying maybe. Second, it is rude to talk when someone is praying.” her tone was lower than her brothers. But her point was clear. She was not going to accidentally offend a spirit or something. Her brother would roll his eyes and go do something else.

When the Spirit called attention back to himself Vinsue would look up briefly. Then get back to her work hanging the meat strips. “Not much to say. The wolf has an extra toe on each paw making it have odd five toe prints. It also likes to constantly get in trouble stealing food and killing livestock.”

Bonzi would come back over and rip off a chunk of meat. “Five toes is a Rithari. Male. He just got back from a cow hunt. Also may have had contact with gold recently.” he would say. “By the way, I'm Bonzi. And this is Vinsue.”
Bonzi would bite into the meat. “It's still on the more raw side like you like it.” he would say and sit down. He would than look at the spirit. “So what are you and what would you prefer to be called?”

[Rickter]

Moose and Wolves

Ash 24th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

When the wolf himself had decided to join the pair cooking their lofty meal, he took considerable time to observe and sleuth what he could off of them with his nose. They both had the scent of the boreal on them, signifying that they'd been hunting in these woods for a while now. What else he gleaned off them though was nothing short of indifference, for there remained no malice in their actions even as he crouched to settle on his feet.

The warmth of the fire was pleasant and though the sizzling of meat tempted him, Rickter kept to himself for the most part before he finished ruminating on their words. One was practical with how she carried herself, while the other seemed more open and receptive to his presence. Having heard their conversation prior when he sent the wolf's soul off to Wraedan, he wanted to get an idea on how these two operated both as separate entities; and as a singular unit as well.

A pack of two... Capable hunters from the way they created a trap to lure beasts in. He noted with a side eye to the gutted moose still hung up, before the pair in question answered him of this "Five Toes" they kept referring to. Before the wolf himself thought they meant something else, seeing as how wolves had dew claws which he counted as the fifth digit. But it seemed he had the wrong impression earlier, and from what the girl described, the tracks of this particular wolf's paw literally had five instead of four pads in it's prints.

A peculiar thing honestly, and they mentioned it was Rathari? Rickter could only stroke the contours of his bearded jawline, pondering the odds of it being a fellow Rathari he might now. He doubted it though honestly, having not spent more time with them since a year ago. When the male of the pair gave him introductions, Rickter looked to each one in acknowledgment, tying their names to their faces mentality as he remained attentive for the most part. Bonzi and Vinsue. An odd ragtag couple to find out in the wilderness to say the least, but they also wanted to know just who (and what) the wolf was in return.

"That's a loaded question at this point." He admitted when his eyes fell to gaze in the flame. "I am... Was Rathari. Now I'm something more." Something he still puzzled over at every turn, unsure of what he wanted to make of himself with it even. "But you can call me Rickter." He finally offered with his eyes up to Bonzi, since he seemed the more hospitable of the pair.

"Tell me, what all do you know of this 'Five Toes' you mentioned before? I want to know everything." He inquired respectfully with a slight narrow in his gaze, the air a bit chillier around him even with the firepit in close proximity. Rickter wanted to see or even meet this other Rathari personally, so that he himself could speak with this individual, and determine whether or not he needed to be judged for his actions. Preying on those within the wilds was one thing, but to endanger and even abandon his pack? That was an offense not even the Lord of Winter could let go of so easily.

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion"

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

[Chronicle]

Both Participants

Points: 10 XP
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Comments: A fun thread that led to interesting dynamics worth exploring.