skill — hunter 1/5

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ronan had finally followed twyla north to their future, though he was unsure just how long they’d stay in the north. she’d left him a trail to northwind summit, but the oddest phenomenon had stpped him in his tracks. a group of wolves had gathered to watch some strange clouds slowly descend to the earth. were they, moving?

for a second, he swore it was a trick of the mind until he saw dark shapes emerge from the mist. deer? blue deer?

“what in the hell?” ronan muttered as he crept closer to the gathering, eyes flickering from one to the other. he figured he should take a stag to the woman as a display of his aptitude for being a man and a leader, but hesitated. he wasn’t going to be the first to rush in there and piss off whatever brought the strange animals to them. instead, he chose to watch the others for a sign to engage. he would not be a fool this time.

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Skill:

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She'd followed the rest of her comrades from a distance. It wasn't sulking, it was protection, and she would carefully keep her gaze on them as they strolled through the Alpines. The weather had been nothing short of unusual as of late, and today was no different. And the wolves of Dawnbreak were not the only ones, it seemed, to stare upward toward a sky that twisted and shook with magical power.

Tiberii's gaze would narrow, watching as the mist seemed to take form ... a herd of deer. Stags, mainly. And they did not look, nor smell, natural.

Tiberii peered across the plains, noticing the collection of wolves that had been drawn here. Some were confused ... and some ... angry. She watched as the familiar red flame charged forward into the unknown mist, just as she pulled her larger frame up beside Vidarr and Aurelia. Isaiah did not wait; some sort of keen excitement took over his body, and Tiberii felt herself stiffen with a blast of shock. Isaiah! There was a rough panic in her voice, her ears flicking backward atop her skull as her mind flashed.

Stag. Bear. Magic. Mist. Darkness.

Her panic caught in her throat as she imagined Isaiah being taken, just as ... just as the rest.

Her anxiety did not allow her to wait, and she would cast only a brief glance toward the rest of the gathered Dawnbreakers before taking off after her brother.

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Northern Alpines, Autumn Event

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Hunter Skill Event

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NO NEW PARTICIPANTS ARE ALLOWED IN THIS THREAD AT THIS TIME.

At the end of October, this thread will close!

There is no posting order, but be courteous to your other players so everyone can get their points!

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Story — You are here, together, staring down the herd of deer. You sense the presence of the other wolves around you … and then you hear the voice. They are cursed. The voice comes from the mist, rattling in your ear. Take them down, and you will weaken the plague. You feel confident that destroying the deer will not hurt you … and perhaps, in hunting them, the plague will slow. Work together. If you take down the lead stag, the rest will disappear.

It is obvious who that is … the largest creature, standing proud at the head of the herd. There is an intimidating air about this particular stag, but you feel empowered and encouraged.

Outcome — You may all work together to hunt down the lead stag. When you do, all of the deer will disappear into a haze of blue mist, leaving behind only strange, blue-tinted antlers in their wake. Your belly will not feel full, but you can tell the land heaves a sigh of relief once their presence is gone.

You may powerplay the herd however you like from this point, and you may acquire up to 10 points toward your hunter skill — that is two points per post, for a five-post maximum reward. You may post more than this, of course, but 10 points is the max. You may allot these toward a Hunter Skill Badge or any offshoot of that class (big game, small game, etc).

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EVENT BONUSES

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BONUS POINTS on top of the allotted 10 have been awarded (based on RNG):
Devika — +3 (up to 13 points total)
Meleys — +4 (up to 14 points total)
Yaalk'ali  — +2 (up to 12 points total)
Journey — +1 (up to 11 points total)
Alder — +1 (up to 11 points total)
Aurelia — +5 (up to 15 points total)
Vidarr — +4 (up to 14 points total)
Isaiah — +4 (up to 14 points total)
Caan — +1 (up to 11 points total)
Ronan — +2 (up to 12 points total)
Tiberii — +1 (up to 11 points total)

BADGE BONUS AWARD
Everyone who participated has earned a badge! How spooky!

Still moving with caution as she drew nearer, her attention was abruptly pulled behind her by the sound of shouting. She turned just in time to catch a flash of orange barreling forward, a gray form close at its heels. Oh, dear. Then the voice called out from the mist, insisting they must be slain. To take the lead stag would be the end of this haunting scene.

She hesitated for only a heartbeat before her painted pelt joined the fray, rushing with the others. Would they fight together? Was it every wolf for themselves? Or was this simply the most foolish idea they’d ever had, for the sake of a herd of mythical deer? Probably.

But logic was quickly abandoned as she bounded toward the stags. Closing in on one at the outskirts, she snapped her jaws, testing its reaction. To her surprise, it gave none. The creature stood tall, utterly unfazed, even as she began circling it. That… that was not a good sign. At least, not in the ghost’s opinion. Running her tongue across her teeth, she glanced back toward the others who had gathered, curious to see their reactions. If these haunting deer didn’t flinch at snapping jaws, what did that mean for the wolves?

Skill: Hunter

She didn't need to be told twice. While she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about all the mystic mumbo-jumbo regarding runes and saving the world, to say nothing of the mysterious disembodied voice, if there was one thing that might entice Aurelia to the cause it was ridding the land of these cursed the plagues.

Particularly her Vale.

Aurelia stared down the great stag from a distance, brow furrowing as a stern expression set in throughout her features. She wasn't afraid. She had felled giants, bested the Black Sun, and whether or not luck was involved, the facts remained and she felt confident.

The little Shakti-Vaès could do it.

Would do it.

As Tiberii and Isaiah flew past her in a gust of wind, Aurelia felt a rush of adrenaline as she, too, became swept up in the thrill of the chase - like a silver star, the woman streaked through the crowd to catch up to her siblings, a peculiar look of something bordering on excitement sparkling in her eyes. She was not one to be excited by the average hunt, but this was different.

This had meaning.

Aurelia, one of the smallest wolves of the hunting party, slipped easily between the smaller deer and their flailing limbs to head straight for the big stag.

skill: hunter

Many came to gather in the tundra plain. Meleys hard gaze sweeps over those gathered. There is a whisper in her mind. One which has Meleys shifting closer to her own, jaw tense, hairs on end. The Lanzadoii had not seen the plagues which cursed the lands. Least not what she knew. The caribou walked cleansed grounds.

Yet the dreams Meleys had encountered. The same voice which whispered to them all now, Meleys was not one to trust it initially. Skeptical, cautious over curious. Her red fox brother spoke of Ice Raven. Meleys wondered how much he knew and if he truly could be Ghost Talker.

Already some began their charge, throwing themselves into the herd in scatters. Meleys woofs, beginning to move and makes certain she is close to Caan as she does so. She assesses the herd as she does so, taking note of the large bull which had been mentioned. A woof then, her eyes locking to Yaalk'ali and she juts her muzzle into the direction of the herd. Run the herd. Break it. The stag will remain to ensure they escape.

Awaiting for her command to be heeded, she would then turn to her young nephew. Stay close. Strike as I when the time comes. Her trot quickens but she remains on the sidelines. Those wolves who gathered and were not true hunter may run out of steam and fail before the hunt was over. Those who were swift would break the herd. It would be then that Meleys, along with the other largest of the wolves, would pull the stag to its knees.

skill: hunter

It was only but one other woman, malted in color on a coat of white, which had been among the two Lanzadoii wolves, yet the sight of blue deer had certainly drawn the attention of others and before he knew it there was a great many among them. Some of which who already began their charge. One of which being his nephew, who he woofs to as he made way towards them.

A voice came then to him (Was it the voice of Ice Raven?), encouraging the hunt, speaking of the cursed deer which, in killing them, would lessen the plague on the land - one which Yaal had heard whisper of, yet not had witnessed in the land itself just yet. The Lanzadoii had been smart to avoid it.

Surely Ice Raven means to test our strength as hunters. He gives us challenge. A whispered breath among his kin and then after, it is with the comand of Meleys does Yaalk'ali run. Smaller then many of others gathered, the fox showed his swiftness with an easy. A swiftness matched by one other, a woman flying by in streaks of white and black. The pair together would run the herd as far as was needed.

skill: hunter

A voice whispered, confirming her thoughts. These deer were a part of the wretched blight which cloaked itself over their world. They were cursed.

Journey felt an aching in her heart. Creatures of such beauty and might, cursed now of this land. A world who only seemed to offer heeps and heeps of misfortune without a promise of light in sight. Journey was beginning to realize in this life that Mythris was a wretched place of cruel gods only, with no end in sight.

The journeyman had no choice but to listen, determined like so many others to find end to their suffering. She ran, following after the flash of bright red - Alder, a single man of her own allegiance.

Skill — Hunter

A whispered breath sounds in his ear. A voice that walked in only but a few of the boy's dreams. It is an urging:

Hunt the lead stag. It will weaken the plague.

Caan shuddered at the dark memory of the veil. Unlike his kin, he was nearly lost to a plagued region. The strangled trees and the deathly chill would not be forgotten. If this hunt was a test of strength of the body against the very sickness of the world, Caan would volunteer repeatedly for such a cause.

Among the number of cautious hunters, the voice loosens the swift like arrows. Wolven figures sprinted across the field to meet the herd. His uncle was included in that number, at the behest of his aunt. Unfortunately for Caan, the darkfang orders the boy to wait. Caan would strike in tandem with his aunt. It was perhaps the only amount of spoken coordination he had heard in this gathering.

His teeth ache and his legs itch as he steps back into place at Meleys's side. Their pace lags behind the sprinters and those who threw themselves toward the herd without caution. Pale eyes watch enviously, but the boy knows that this is a chance to learn. Not only the vital hunting skills necessary for their clan, but to learn of the skills of those neighboring the Saastine.

His eyes do not move from the figures attempting to break the herd's line. Even if he was not yet on the front lines, his mind was still working. Darkfang, when the stag is isolated, should we run it down?

Would they even need to with the great number of hunters with them?

skill: hunter (2/5)

And as it all came back to, instinct took over and without needing to exchange the pleasantries of names or allegiances. It didn't matter. The mist had called to all of them, whispers trailing down their spines until they were all engulfed. Vidarr only spared a glance to see the blur of Isaiah as he immediately set chase. The boy was willowy like Olive, he had taken his father's darker coat and took part of Olive's soul. The Druid was still well missed, a sore wound that still often throbbed through the pack. The wound still had fresh scars, signs of the loss and the hurt they had all endured.

So it came as no real shock that Tiberii set after her younger sibling, but the bolt of panic that was etched into every syllable. For a moment he was frozen in time, taking a few minutes to stare at the three of them - siblings without parents, they had faced loss after loss. It was cruel to lose a parent, it was worse to lose one twice, and then still their giant guardian had been taken from them too. Three Shakti-Vaes children. Three losses. The obvious meshing of their parents genes and very souls in flight together.

It was beautiful, even with their grief nipping at their heels. The faster wolves had made a break for it in an obvious bid to break up the herd. Vidarr was not fast - especially not with the mess of burn marks on his shoulder. He was strong though. And he would take great joy in this hunt. Immediately Vidarr noticed Meleys - build not unlike his own, a beast in dark flesh. A low woof to get her attention, seeking to meet eyes even for a second. It was an instinctive response, something deep-rooted in all of them, and it did not take a lengthy discussion to form a plan. The largest of them all would be needed to best the great Stag.

This would be a tale worthy of passing down.