HUNT

The thrill of the hunt. Steady breath. Silent steps. Senses sharp. Lunis enjoyed every part of it. Crouched in the tall grass, the huntress kept a steely eye on the target; an elderly buck from a herd of elk. A challenging prey to take down, however with proper coordination and teamwork, the pack would have a decent meal to feast on.

Thushar would arrive soon and bring the cold wrath of winter with him; if they wish to survive, the pack must hunt as much prey as possible and gather their energy before the first snowfall.

Keeping her stomach low to the ground, she mentally recited the plan and prepared for the chase. To her left, a black pelted wolf crawled a few feet away, alert and ready to pounce, an identical dark brown wolf following close behind. Ahead of them was a grey and amber male, leading the group to their assigned position.

"Keep close." He growled while keeping his eyes onto the herd.

The female nodded then turned towards the target, excitement fluttering at her stomach. At last, the three wolves halted now waiting for their signal to take action. Heart beating in her temples, Lunis anxiously waited as every second passed at the flap of a butterfly's wings. It felt like the moment was stretching to eternity until movement was spotted at the edge of the hill ahead of them. Gradually the forms of four wolves approachibg the herd moved in from the horizon until they were at a close enough distance to launch their attack. They charged and immediately, the herd was alerted, running off into the opposite direction from it's pursuers.

Lunis watched carefully as the group expertly separated the herd into smaller groups then isolated the elderly bull from the rest. Her haunches tingled, excitement crawling like ants through her skin.

The group leader howled: "NOW!"

Following his call, Lunis and her pack mates launched at full speed. Pushing to her limits, the female and her older counter part reached the old bull's side, carefully avoiding it's kicks and swings when it tried to fend them off. The black pelted wolf remained at the back, awaiting for the perfect time to leap in hopes of taking down their prey but it was no easy task; one wrong move could kill him. The male cautiously took an approach before he lept but the elk was quick to and buggle violently, throwing him off. The wolf quickly got back onto his feet and approached for another attack. The elk bucked and sent a hard kick to it's pursuer, the hoof connected to the canine's shoulder. A yelp of pain ripped from the wolf's throat as he tumbled and rolled onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Hinto!" Slowing his pace, the injured wolf's dark brown counterpart turned heals, giving up on the chase.

At the side of the bull, the elder wolf, noticing his pack mate's injury, growled in frustration before he turned to the female. "Dammit! Fall back. Fall back!"

Disappointed, Lunis slowed her pace and watched as the elk gained more distance, hunger twisting her stomach. With winter only a few moon cycles away, losing this elk would be a devastating blow for the pack...

No. I'm not giving up!

Determination flowing through her veins, the female pushed ahead, ignoring her elder's barks of protest when he realized her intention.

"LUNIS! GET BACK HERE! LUNIS!"

Despite her disobedience, the she-wolf felt a grin grow onto her lips; the wind blowing through her pelt, her paws thrumming against the ground, her senses tingling to life with every breath, she felt alive. However, her moment of pleasure was broken when she realized the elk was headed towards the borders of the territory; if it crossed the line, she'd loose it for good.

It was now or never.

Aware aiming for the elk's legs would be much too dangerous, the female decided to take a more direct approach; with a strong leap, she jumped onto the bull's back and quickly sunk her fangs into it's spine. The elk buggled in pain, struggling to fight as it's legs suddenly gave up beneath it's body sending the animal into a heavy tumble while the female was launched a few feet away. Her head hit the ground at such force, ringing sound resonated in her skull while her vision became blurred. The world swirled violently around her, earth becoming sky, clouds replacing the grass. Amongst the chaos, a voice reached out to her;

Lunis. Wake up Lunis.

"Loony!!! Hey! You okay?" As the ringing died down, a familiar whimper reached her eear, pulling her out from her torper.

A groan escaped her throat, blue eyes blinking at the light as they adjusted. She gazed up, curious of the darkened figure standing before her. "Hmm..." she stilled, her snout suddenly coming into contact with something cold. Another wolf's snout.

"Woah there! No need for such drastic measures, Loony, I was just cheking up on ya.

- BLAZE!" With a frustrated bark, the female jolted her head away from the tan and brown youngster standing over her, golden eyes gleaming with mischief. Embarrassed her snout had pressed against his, the she-wolf swiftly pushed her companion aside, earning a chuckle from him. Lunis however, was far from amused. "What's your deal! You know I hate it when you do that-

- Oh come on, Loony, I was just making sure you were okay." Despite the mischievous gleam in his eyes, a hint of worry colored his voice.

She growled, ruffling her pelt. "And stop calling me that. You know I hate that nickname...

- Lunis!" Howling from a distance, a lean black pelted she-wolf arrived, a large brown pelted male and several other wolves following behind.

Ears leaned back, the female greeted her leaders, who both seemed a little confused about the situation, gazes switching between her and the dead elk. "Is everyone alright?" Barked the broad male, turning to Lunis and her companion.

"We're fine. Just a little hiccup taking down the elk, nothing more." Lunis replied, a proud smirk crowning her lips as she realized the bull had been successfully taken down, it's body laying just a few feet away from them. She had almost forgotten about it in the moment; luckily the bulls neck had snapped, killing it instantly.

Her victory however, was short lived. "LUNIS!!!" Joining the rest of the group, the grey and tan elder arrived with the rest of their team, Hinto heavily limping by his companion's side. The elder, eyes burning with anger, faced the female with curled lips. "I'm gonna rip your pelt off then feed you to the crows!"

She snarled in return, challenging his words. "I'd like to see you try!

- Dasker! Lunis, that is enough!" Barked the broad female, placing herself between the two. "What is going on?

- What always happens!" Retorted the male, spitting with venom. "She refuses to listen to anyone and completely disobeyed a simple order. She could've jeopardized the entire hunt!

- Jeopardized!? I'm sorry, were you the one who took down an elk on their own? You'd still be hungry if it weren't for me!

- I said ENOUGH! BOTH of you!" Their leader rose a powerful howl, glarring the pair down into submission. "You two need to put your differences aside and learn to work together.

- Maybe if she'd actually listen for once in her life, we'd get somewhere!

- We don't want excuses, nor culprits, we want results." The large, brown furred male stepped forward, supporting his mate whilst his wise gaze settled onto the arguing pair.

"However-" added the female, turning to Lunis. "Dasker is right; you need to learn to respect and follow as you are told, we've been over this multiple times."

An annoyed growl escaped the white she-wolf's throat, blue eyes rolling in disdain. "I don't see what's the fuss, Navira! I got the elk, we have food, hooray! Everyone's happy." Despite her leader's stern gaze, Lunis turned around and headed towards the carcass. "If you ask me, I'd be better off without him bossing me around."

Navira groaned, but kept herself calm nonetheless. "In that case, I'm sure you won't mind completing Silver's tasks on your own for a few suns, that will surely keep bossy Dasker away from you, wouldn't you agree?"

A wide eyed Lunis met Navira's gaze, as the cunning dark she-wolf made her way to the carcass. The white female's ears pinned onto her skull, tail angrily flailing. "WHAT!? You can't do that!

- I can, and I did. You need to learn to respect orders and your elders, Lunis." Her bark came out harsh but controlled, quickly soothing back to a normal tone when she continued. "All I'm asking is a little more cooperation. Yes, you have done us a great deed, but, you must stop working against your pack and know when to back down. Eld-

- I know, I know, elders are as important to the pack as hunters and leaders, I know!" She sat down, shoulders straight and proud with rebellion despite her looming disappointment. "I'm not a pup anymore!

- Then act like one." Dasker hissed between his teeth, earning another growl from the spiteful female as he walked by.

Cutting into the tension once more, they're Alpha male stepped in at his mate's side. "Why don't we put this incident behind us and enjoy our meal? This elk won't eat itself and I certainly won't let it rot to the coyotes."

At last, a truce was settled between the two rivals allowing everyone to take advantage of the peacefulness and gather around the freshly caught bull, relishing at the idea of a full belly. Lunis, chosing a hind leg as her share of food, was quickly met by Blaze who's white chin was outstretched by an admiring smile as he joined her side.

"I think you were pretty awesome." He huffed between two bites, earning a friendly tail flick from his friend. Ripping a piece of the bull's leg, Lunis dragged her cargo a little distance away, wishing to have her usual peace and quiet to enjoy her meal. As she laid down, a strange figure appeared within the horizon, pulling her attention away from her food. She stilled, focusing her gaze onto the figure as it remained completely still within the center of the field. A silver and white wolf, eyes blank as the snow, locked gaze with the young Huntress.

Lunis growled, feeling her hackles raise in anger. Leave. Me. Alone...

"Hey Lunis!" Blaze's voice once again pulled her away from her trance and snapped her back into reality. He called from a distance, tiping his head. "We're heading back, you coming?"

Realizing she hadn't touched her meal at all, despite everyone else finishing their part, Lunis grabbed her piece and decided to bring it back as a gift for Silver. Better this than admit she had lost time to some hallucination.

"Coming!" Clamping her jaws firmly onto the exposed bone, the she-wolf effortlessly lifted up the meal and trotted back to her packmate, pride returning to her eyes.

Blaze chuckled, admiring her spiteful step. "Need help?

- I'm good.

- If you say so, Loony!" She rolled her eyes at the nickname, too busy carrying her prize to fight back. But as the pack reached the border of the forest, Lunis halted as an unsettling chill crept down her spine urging her to gaze over her shoulder. The plains took life in the form of golden waves, blades of grass dancing harmonuously within the wind. No wolf was in sight.

She scoffed. Get a grip, Lunis. Your just seeing things again.

The she-wolf huffed and caught up to the rest of the pack.