wind guide you

attn @Bronco ; got z inspo from the Henry Mountains Herd, hehehe 

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Up the duo went, slowly but surely. The Nameless Mountain was no easy climb, even for an expert—but given more time, Hydra knew she would become swifter here. The challenge presented here was good for her body and her mind; there was new muscle memory to be learned, and the exertion was something Hydra never minded. She was glad for the gentle snowfall that began, and a strong gale brought with it a tantalizing scent Hydra could not recall knowing upon Moonspear. And so she adjusted her course, muscles rippling beneath her winter furs as she navigated the terrain, sure to be mindful of Bronco all the while. 

Hydra was a woman on a scent, and her keen nose led the way. A little over two miles in (and 11,300 feet later), the matriarch found the scent here, not merely on the wind; an yawning meadow with gentle slopes revealed itself, that went on for miles and miles more. Stout coniferous shrubs and pine trees were sprinkled here and there, but what caught Hydra's eye was the herd of beasts in the far distance grazing idly and none the wiser to their arrival. These were beasts she had seen in passing, but had never hunted herself—bison. 

+2 points

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the staff team luvs u

The foothills of Dragonsteeth were tough on him, but as they ranged closer to the Nameless Mountain, it became a bit easier for them to travel along, without the snowmelt that made the stones and boulders slick. The higher they climbed, the cooler the air became and it snowed softly, little white flakes tumbling down to settle onto the ground which, at a higher altitude, was much more open and less protected and sheltered by the coniferous forests of the Dragonsteeth. Some of the passageways they travelled through, to get past those tall, jagged wedges were narrow and twisting, so they had to go single file. Difficult, but not impossible. 

The trees became shorter and shorter, and the view opened up, revealing the valleys that spread outwards from the foothills. He could see other mountain ranges, and forests in the distance. But what caught his attention most was the scent that they followed- until they caught sight of a creature he'd never seen before. 

He exhaled softly, having allowed his mouth to hang open in surprise. Large, dark brown, earthy creatures with short, curved horns, hunched shoulders and a thick shaggy ruff. They were herbivores, that much he could tell- and they were big enough that one of the adults would have fed several wolves easily. They looked remarkably hard to knock over, despite how deep they were in the chest- their legs weren't long and willowy like a deer's- so he was at a loss for how such a thing might be hunted, without possibly trampling the wolf trying to bring it down.

+2 points

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the staff team luvs u

Hydra paused, up until the point Bronco was alongside her; once he was there, she looked to him approvingly. The climb had not been easy, but Bronco was becoming quite the apt mountaineer—he truly had invested himself in growing among them, and it showed. She looked ahead at the group before them, still quite the distance away—and made way toward them. She did not move with the gait of a predator on the prowl, but rather a curious, investigating party; there was much to be learned here, even beyond the appetizing scent their quarry gave off. The slopes here were gentle, and easy to navigate in comparison to the climb they just had. Spruce trees dotted the area, now and then—but for the most part, open land yawned ahead of them. 

Trees provided the advantage of cover, and there was not much of that here. But the open stretches could be beneficial to them in the chase, when their prey tired... something their own kind was made for. Hunting was a battle of will and endurance both. Some prey were in too good of condition to take down, and that was the way of things. Hydra, while learning of the land, also sought for traces of weakness  as she went. She was mindful to keep an ear upon Bronco, should he have any questions here he might think to pose.

+1 point

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I wanna eat it.

He watched the creatures as they moved, grazing, using their broad noses to nudge the snow away and pull dry grasses up by the roots. When they pawed at the ground, he took note of their hooves- and he assumed that they must be in a family with deer and elk, as they had two large, curved toes in front and smaller ones near the back mostly covered in ankle fur. Their shoulders and neck were thick and powerful- but their haunches looked a bit more lean, so he had to wonder exactly how well they could maneuver. So much weight was placed in their front end...He supposed that might make them good at kicking, using their shoulders and head as a counter weight for swift, sharp lashes with their hind leg. But could they pivot very well, being so heavy in the shoulder and weak in the hips?

I wanna eat it.

He salivated as he panted, watching them with fascination. He looked from one animal to the next, noting the differences in their size which he assumed was an indication of their age and health. Were they defensive of their weaker herdmates? If he and Hydra could find one that was small or weak enough for them to handle, would they face the wrath of the herd? He knew next to nothing about these creatures- and he knew that the cost of learning might mean a fair amount of contusions- but if this became a viable source of prey for the pack...Then it might just be worth it.

+0 points - only focused herd, not exploring surroundings

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the staff team luvs u

Some spruce trees here were squat and lowly; these seemed to have traces of the beasts upon them, and Hydra sniffed at the tufts of fur left behind. Drifting mindfully across the terrain, the matriarch paused when coming across a pile of scat. This she took her time with, seeking any sign of sickness or injury within the herd as she navigated the pile with her keen nose. Nothing of note here, though this particular pile was not fresh; not content with her findings, Hydra licked her chops and ranged a little closer. 

She paused upon a hillock, ears pricked as she stared at the large things. They were the size of a bear, perhaps bigger. Front heavy, she noted, and it looked as though every bit of them was padded in muscle. These creatures would not be easy to hunt, she did not think—but the bounty to be had should one be felled would last a good while, she imagined. Observing from here, the bison seemed to keep to themselves; either they had not detected they were being watched, or were unbothered by it for the moment.

+1 point

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the staff team luvs u

He would rely on Hydra's judgment when it came to approaching the herd. He was both apprehensive of the creatures and anxious to give chase to see how they reacted, and to see if he could pinpoint any weaknesses among them, but he'd try and keep that particular instinct at bay. He had a bad habit of chasing certain animals (such as squirrels) simply because he could, and because it was a thrill, but these creatures...He had the feeling that he didn't want to spook the herd out of their chosen grazing grounds as they could potentially be of great benefit for the pack. 

They certainly weren't too concerned about the two wolves that crept closer, ambling this way and that as they investigated the scents and tracks left behind by the large herbivores. Every now and again, Bronco would pause and turn his attention to the view from their altitude, which was stunning to say the least. Now high enough to see beyond the treetops of the coniferous foothills, he could almost see the bend in the world's edge along the curve of the horizon. He wasn't sure he'd ever been this high up before- and didn't realize it, but he was breathing a bit more quickly than he normally would, due to the elevation gain and the effect that had on his oxygen levels. 

He didn't notice any other effects though, and continued to lurk not far behind Hydra, watching for any indication that she might make a change in their plans of approaching the herd.

+1 points

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the staff team luvs u

Where he might not have noted it, Hydra certainly had become aware of it... if not due to her own ability to suss out her own advantages upon any given battlefront, then surely because she had trained herself to be conscious of such things in others. Hydra recalled, long ago, someone... who had it been? Dark-furred, he had been... well, perhaps he was unimportant if she could not recollect him, even if the residual fondness seemed to linger. The matriarch pushed such thoughts away, favoring the wolf she was with now—Bronco. The one had dealt with adverse effects, and Hydra knew she did not wish for Bronco to endure such. 

And in any event... She had already determined to play the part of observer. From where she stood, the matriarch settled, lowering on her hindquarters and staring down at the mighty animals that must have lived here long before they had arrived. What luck, she thought to herself. Being still would help Bronco both adjust and catch his breath, but also... help her to detect any malaise any herd member might reveal. All the while, training the lungs of Bronco to keep up with their activities. “Have you hunted such a creature before?” She asked in a quiet breath, her interest true. Her gaze flit to the things the bison seemed to favor when it came to whetting their own appetite, but from here she could not identify what it was they nibbled at. 

+0 points - only focused herd, not exploring surroundings

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the staff team luvs u

Her body language told the slightly dismayed Bronco that they would not be harassing the creatures. Even while it would be foolish and dangerous, he did still want to chase them if nothing else then to see how well they ran, and how quickly. But such a task- even if only for educational purposes- would be better suited to a group of at least three wolves. 

"I haven't even seen these things before," He admitted, but without shame. They didn't look like something that would live just anywhere.  "Have you?" He asked.
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His inquiry got her mind working, and she nodded to him as she remembered. “In passing,” she informed, “they are called bison,” she informed. “Though I have yet to hunt them. They were not near home,” she remembered. Caribou, deer, boar, goat—that had been their normal fare. Bison had been toward the flatlands, as she recalled. “We will return to test them someday, but for now... we will watch,” she decided. Watching was an important part of the hunt, and from afar she hoped to see a hitch in their gait or one herd member that seemed to rely upon others. But for now, all seemed well—she watched them graze and heed their surroundings. One looked toward them, but seemed indifferent; Hydra licked her chops and watched back, undeterred and content in her present company. 

+0 points - only focused on herd, not exploring surroundings

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He could feel over time that his stomach began to clench and growl softly, just watching the creatures as they passively continued to graze. Perhaps they were not used to being hunted, or perhaps they were smart enough to know that they weren't being threatened. Either way- he and Hydra would learn what they could about the bison so that one day, they could add it to their list of prey animals.

They watched for some time, before Bronco gestured. His belly was getting cold from staying still so long in the snow. "Wanna come see the other side of the mountain with me?" He asked. And they would continue their journey, venturing over the mountain's shoulder to continue exploring what they hoped would one day be their claimed packland.
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