Training days [smiff\open]

[Mika]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2vt8e1d.png] walk "talk" 'think' He expected prey to be more abundant now that the searing heat of summer had passed, but he had traveled a long way away from the city before he found a herd of sheep. The herd was fairly small, mostly males, a few females and he could see only two lambs. One ram in particular caught his attention. This ram looked young, strong, and he walked among his herd as if he were the leader. 'He'll be perfect.' Gus thought as he eyed the ram from a distance before silently stalking forward. Gus only moved when he thought his target wasn't looking, unfortunately the rest of the herd could see him clearly and would move away, which alerted the young ram to the coyote's presence. When he thought he was close enough he ran at full speed toward his target while the ram, in turn, charged at Gus as well. Gusto skidded to a halt and tried to run back in the opposite direction, but he felt something hard hit his side and send him flying and hit the ground a few feet farther away from the herd and the ram. Gus shakily rose back to his feet and, only a second later, turned to run again as the ram started to chase him. Once the ram decided the coyote was at a good enough distance away from his herd, he slowed down to a trot and strutted back to his herd. Gus only walked a foot closer as he glared at the retreating sheep in frustration with his ears flattened against his head.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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As she padded along the outskirts of town, through the grassy fields, by the lake, and through the meadow, Brooke couldn't help but wonder if she had done the right thing. She hadn't exactly refused Panja, but how could she agree to peace when she knew this war would inevitably continue? The old white lion was naive, she had to remind herself. The opinions of others had not bothered her much before now... but things had been so hard on her that currently every little change in the wind seemed to be affecting the aging Mistress.

That was why she had come out alone today - she needed to think. She needed to be alone with her thoughts. With a shake of her head, Brooke continued to try and reassure herself that she had done right. What would Bane have done? she thought. The mere idea of him made her sigh. How her heart ached for him now that he was gone. But she couldn't turn back time and say her goodbyes. She had never let the death of another hinder her - but Bane.... he'd gone and left a rift in her heart. One she knew she could not heal from.

Eyes straying from the ground to the wilderness ahead, she contemplated leaving and never coming back. Perhaps this was how Gravity had felt when he had abandoned her and the Tempest Pack. Like no more words could heal his suffering. She oddly sympathized with that stupid shit she used to call her leader. However, before she could entertain the thought for more than a few moments, Gusto, a young coyote who she'd taken a liking to, caught her eye.

She watched with mild interest as the inexperienced juvenile started to hunt. A small smile worked its way onto her lips as he was battered back in the dirt. He'd never catch a full grown ram. Not even Brooke would take on one of those young males without at least planning carefully with a few other dogs, "You're taking a bite bigger than you can chew, pup,"[/color] she called before approaching. He looked a little winded.... understandably. A ram's horns could be pretty damaging. As far as injuries went, Gusto was lucky to only have a little tumble - a few bruises to take home.

"Let me teach you,"[/color] she went on. "Hunting is an easy task once you understand the concept. Big prey like this is most easily caught in a group. And even then, it's not always so simple. The sheep you chose was a strong, fit male. One of those could easily kill a dog if it was threatened enough." Brooke explained. She went on to tell Gusto that the best way to ensure a meal was to pick out the elder, sickly ones, or the young - preferably the older sheep to encourage the population to keep growing and make more food for the pack in the future. "And so, before you try again, which one of the sheep should we be chasing?"[/color]

Brooke could already see an aged female sheep with a limp. There was nothing more vulnerable than that.

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[Mika]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2vt8e1d.png] walk "talk" 'think' He stood as still as a statue as he continued to glare at the sheep's retreating form. He did smell another canine's scent, but he didn't react until he heard a voice. "You're taking a bite bigger than you can chew, pup," He turned his head at an approaching black for and wagged his tail. "Oh, hello Mistress." He said, obviously happy to see her, but also somewhat embarrassed that she had seen his failed hunting attempt. In his old pack he could remember not really being, practically, banned from hunting, his previous pack thought it would be a wast of time trying to teach him how to hunt prey like deer and sheep. Luckily Gus couldn't feel any broken bones; he expected to see a fairly large bruise on his side. "Let me teach you," He turned his full attention to his leader and listened intently to what she said. He already knew that big prey was best hunted with a group, but, whether he wanted to mention it or not, it was stupid of him to try on his own anyway. It was probably dumber to pick out a perfectly healthy sheep from the herd. "And so, before you try again, which one of the sheep should we be chasing?" He looked back to the herd. "Let's see. As much as I would like to tear that one limb from limb right about now." He couldn't help but send another icy glare at the ram that headbutted him earlier, who was now standing next to a equally young and healthy female. Gusto could swear that particular ram was glancing at him from the side and was giving the coyote a smug look. "Ass." Gus muttered then looked among the rest of the herd. Remembering what Brooke had just told him he managed to spot about three easy targets. He thought about trying to make himself seem less intelligent but quickly pushed that idea out of his mind. Most likely, he had already shown stupidity by trying to kill a fit ram. "That one? That's a good one right?" He said with uncertainty as he gestured to the aged, limping sheep.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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Brooke shook her head at the young coyote, that same, uncharacteristic smile of hers only growing larger, "There's no need for formalities among friends, Gusto."[/color] she explained. "Don't sell yourself short. You may be young and inexperienced but you have a lot of potential. Any member of the pack that looks down on the Juveniles and Pups are fools. You will be the future one day soon. Most likely... sooner than later."[/color]

She was, of course, referring to her age. Brooke had turned eight not long ago, and though she knew she would be strong for a good few extra years, she was beginning to look around at the pack, thinking carefully as to who would be the next heir. Brooke had thought about training Diego, her son, to be the next Warden... however, she quickly decided against it. While it was his right, considering he shared her blood, she would never subject her own children to the torture she had to endure as a leader.

It is selfish of me, yes... but I will not make my children suffer any more than they already have,[/color] she thought. Her mind drifted away from the lingering burden of who to choose, and instead focused on Gusto. An amused snort made its way out of her when he explained that he'd love to get a little revenge on that buck, sending a pointed glare its way. "Karma has a way of biting tails. In a few years, that strong male there will be weak and easy to pick off. And you'll be the one to take it down, Gusto."[/color]

At last, he picked out the correct sheep from the herd, and Brooke felt a surge of pride wash over her, "Very good. Now, Gusto, this is the real test of a hunter. You chose the prey, and now I want you to lead me. Warden, I am now your soldier, and we will attack by your call."[/color]

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[Mika]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2vt8e1d.png] walk "talk" 'think' "There's no need for formalities among friends, Gusto." "Yes, ma'am." Even though he would always see Brooke as superior to him, not only because she was the leader of Tempest, he would happily respect her decision. He felt unworthy of the praise that his leader gave him. He blamed his old pack for not teaching him anything important like hunting; when his mother tried to teach him the pack would interrupt somehow,and when his sister tried the pack would take down the choice of prey before he could. It was mostly males trying to impress her at the same time. The end of Brooke's speech confused him. "Most likely... sooner than later." Gus tilted his head slightly at this in confusion. He didn't quite understand what she could mean by this; there were some somewhat elderly dogs in the pack but, they were also strong and much more skilled than himself and most other juveniles he had seen. His attention was back on the buck, who now seemed more interested in a young female. A smirk could be seen on his face as he imagined that buck old and struggling to escape a predator. Whether or not that predator was Gus didn't really matter to him. "Very good. Now, Gusto, this is the real test of a hunter. You chose the prey, and now I want you to lead me. Warden, I am now your soldier, and we will attack by your call." His eyes widened slightly at this and he couldn't help but question his leaders' motive. Warden? Him? He highly doubted that the pack would want, as they would call him, a delusional runt as their leader but, what if? He looked out at the herd, at the elderly sheep who was, conveniently, away from the other adults of the herd. Hunting hoofed creatures could possibly be dangerous; if he tried to act stupid he could risk getting Brooke or himself hurt, even though he would already had some bruises from that buck. He stood there thinking for a moment before he spoke. "I could sneak around to the other side and,we could drive it away from the herd?" He said as he tried to remember the methods his old pack used before.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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"Leading it away from the heard is an excellent idea. It will be much easier to catch on it's own."[/color] Brooke confirmed. She gave the coyote an encouraging nod of her head so that he could lead the way in the hunt, following the youngster at a trot. She'd sneak ahead of him, where he'd drive the prey if everything went according to plan.

"Just start whenever you're ready, Gusto. I will leap to your aid when you need me. Remember, the great strength of our kind is stamina. Even if these creatures are much faster than you, you have more energy, and coyote's are especially good jumpers. Don't be afraid to leap for the neck-- but avoid the hooves..."[/color] she trailed off there and shook her head at her own advice. The last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm Gusto.

"You know what, just do what feels... natural for you, okay?"[/color] There, that seemed much less complex and much more manageable for a young mind to wrap around. The hunt will begin at your call. Wait for five minutes while I get into position."[/color]

She disappeared into the bushes after that with nothing more than a rustle of leaves to show that she'd been there before. Brooke trotted along the undergrowth, finally stopping a small ways off where she could hopefully cut off the old buck as he ran from Gusto. Brooke wasn't a very skilled hunter - skilled enough to survive in the wild, but it wasn't her calling amongst the pack. She was a soldier, first and foremost. Perhaps it would have been better for a seasoned, skilled hunter to teach Gusto. Perhaps it was time to gather the younger members together and begin to show them the ropes.

The sounds of the chase brought Brooke back down to reality. Panicked yelps and the sound of hooves pounding snapped her head int he direction of the herd. She prayed all would go right and there wouldn't be any problems. She was, however, prepared to leap right into action should Gusto have trouble with that stag again.

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[Mika]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/2vt8e1d.png] walk "talk" 'think' He continued to listen intently to what Brooke had to say. Just start whenever you're ready, Gusto. I will leap to your aid when you need me. Remember, the great strength of our kind is stamina. Even if these creatures are much faster than you, you have more energy, and coyote's are especially good jumpers. Don't be afraid to leap for the neck-- but avoid the hooves... He couldn't hide the look of disappointment quick enough when she said that one word, coyote. Gus truly believed that he was a wolf who was the runt of his litter, he didn't have the heart to tell his mistress that she was mistaken. Gus probably wouldn't believe even Brooke if she objected, just like so many others did. He tilted his head slightly when she trailed off. Was something wrong? Other than mistaking him for a coyote, she was giving good advice. "You know what, just do what feels... natural for you, okay?" He only nodded in reply. The moment she retreated into the bushes, Gus headed toward and around the heard of sheep, keeping a wary eye on the buck that bruised him earlier. It seemed to have temporarily lost interest in the young canine; he was still courting a young female. Once Gus had deemed himself safe for now, he turned his attention to the injured old sheep as he walked around the heard at a safe distance. His gaze shifted back an forth from the ewe and the buck as he walked and positioned himself at the opposite side of the herd like he had said earlier. When he stopped, his full attention was on the injured female sheep as he thought of how to drive it toward Brooke. He stood there thinking and waiting like Brooke said before he ran toward the herd with the full intention of harming them. Surprisingly to young juvenile, this seemed to work. Most of the herd saw him and started to run. The old female he was targeting had been resting; the old sheep had been laying down on the ground but, she rose to her feet as quickly as she could and ran with her companions. She tried to hide among her companions but she soon started to fall behind. Gus was close behind her, releasing a series of barks and snapping at her haunches. He was successfully driving the injured old ewe toward Brooke's position, so he allowed the sheep to run further ahead and straight to his leader. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He wasn't really expecting the buck that tackled him earlier to come to his subordinate's rescue. It's not like it would do much good now anyway. Brooke had probably already attacked the ewe by the time Gus turned and ran in the direction opposite of his leader and their prey.If Brooke killed their choice of prey, this buck would have no reason to chase or attack any of them. (maybe there could be a thread later with most/all of the juveniles out training?)

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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[atrb=background,http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/Kitten_Lovour/brooketable1middle.png] Brooke waited in her position patiently, eagerly awaiting the hunt that was about to take place. It had been a long while since she simply partook in an activity for the pleasure of it. While she had never been the best hunter, it was a nice change of pace to be doing a normal packmember would do rather than a leader. It was almost like an escape from what she now considered a harsher reality than ever before. She watched closely as Gusto started the attack. Good, she thought, pride and approval pouring off her in waves. He was doing well. The prey would be down in a matter of moments once she leapt out from her spot. Tensing her muscles in preparation for her leap out of the undergrowth, Brooke's eyes dilated. Closer... closer.... Now! And with a open mouthed snarl, she sprang forward in a mighty jump, years of experience and precision training allowing her to easily knock over the ewe and end it's life in one swift bite to it's exposed neck. Brooke waited, her jaws clenched around the injured prey until the light left its eyes. Only then did she look up and notice that Gusto was retreating from her, that same buck in close pursuit. Fury erupted within her. That stupid thing just didn't know when to quit. Well fine. The male would pay the price for going after her packmates, especially a youngster like Gusto. "Hang on!" she yowled, giving chase after the two of them. Brooke barked, snarled, anything to divert the buck's attention from the coyote. She wasn't going to let it touch him again. ooc; i'm sorry this is so, SO late, Mika ;;. I was planning on having a thread with the younger members of the Pack, but I have yet to set it up.