Holy Sheep! It's a Stampede![Smiff]

[Jay]

"If someone'd... told me... we'd be going.... THIS far... I'd have stayed home."
June glanced back at the panting dog behind her. He was a big dog, probably a Bernese Mountain Dog mix or something. Basically one of those mutts who might be good help in the moutains, especially with what hey were up there for, but also had to deal with a thick fur coat and a lot of weight. She snorted, her own sleek coat and long limbs gave her a distinct advantage over the other dog, but that didn't mean she didn't have a right to be irritated by his complaining.
"Just think buddy, at least when we get there, we get to rest, then hunt, then we have an all down hill trip back." One of the other dogs stated. June sighed. She'd offered to go with Brooke on a hunting mission. Because of the scarcity of food in the city and nearby areas, they were heading up the mountains, aiming for the large sheep and creatures up there for food. She knew the risk, and the exertion it would require. As they climbed, she glanced back at the small party of canines. Herself, the two males who were still talking, and a pair of other canines, plus Brooke made up the small group that would be hunting these dangerous creatures in the Strangler's Mountains.

June quickened her pace, moving ahead of the small patrol behind her, and drawing up alongside Brooke.
"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do, Ma'am?" She asked, voicing her concerns about taking on the large sheep of these mountains. "One of these creatures will be difficult, but encountering a herd could be very dangerous." She glanced sidelong at the other canine, gauging her reaction.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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As the group of six canines made their way up the mountain, even Brooke had to second guess her little plan. The sleet and snow at the peaks were making it all the more difficult for their team - though, she'd tried to choose the right dogs for this environment. Besides her and June, the rest of the pack that she'd brought along were made for this weather. Unfortunately, with the drought only just over back in Hexasol, prey was still scarce. Brooke would absolutely not let her pack have one night gone hungry - not before the winter set in! That would be unheard of! And she would not stand for such a failure.

She lead the way easily, stamina from years of training making htis climb like a walk in the park for her. It seemed, however, that some of the other dogs she'd brought - the ones she knew would be able to cope in this environment even - were complaining. She let out an irritated huff, but let the complaints go ignored. They were hungry and grumpy, she figured. Hell, so was she. And so when June came up to her and asked if it was a good idea to be here, she had to hold herself back from literally chewing the poor girl out, "We've come too far to simply turn tail because of a little ice. Besides, there is no food in Hexasol. Your pack will go hungry if we don't bring them back food. Think of the pups, Juviniles, and elders?"[/color]

Another small whimper from one of the other canines, and Brooke let out something of a bark to silence them, "Shut up already and keep alert! We've entered the sheep's territory!"[/color][/blockquote][/div][/center][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Jay]

"We've come too far to simply turn tail because of a little ice. Besides, there is no food in Hexasol. Your pack will go hungry if we don't bring them back food. Think of the pups, Juviniles, and elders?" June laid her ears back, knowing Brooke's concern was for the rest of the pack, she'd known that all along. But she had a very bad feeling about this journey. She nodded respectfully and moved to leave the Mistress her space.

She knew the pack needed the food, she knew the drought was leaving them hungry, right before winter. She knew they were in a rough situation, and Brooke was only doing what was good for the pack. but despite all of this, June still worried, she had a bad feeling about hunting these large creatures, whose curved horns and sharp hooves could cause many problems. A single sheep could kill a dog, maybe even a pair, if they tried to hunt it, an entire herd would be extremely dangerous. But at the same time, she saw the logic, just one of those sheep was large enough to feed a large pack, perhaps ever one like their own, at least for a while. As she mused about the potential risks and benefits though, another whimper sounded, from one of the quieter dogs, and Brooke quickly turned.
"Shut up already and keep alert! We've entered the sheep's territory!" June slowed her pace as they crested the top of a hill, ears quickly pricking up to an alert position as she scanned the area ahead. The drought obviously had not affected the mountain this high up, as it was still cold as it would have been any other autumn.

As she scanned the landscape, June waited for anything to come into view other than the seemingly barren mountain sides. Then, on a seemingly unreachable ledge, she spotted movement. June stopped, much to the chagrin of the packmate behind her, and focussed on that spot.
"Ma'am? I think I may have spotted one of the sheep." She stated, nodding towards the ledge, it was nearby, just a valley stood between them and the mountainside that it stood on. As she watched, the one sheep followed a distinct path uphill, probably towards the herd.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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Brooke perked up as soon as June spotted the sheep, her previous frustration with her group of dogs forgotten. With a nod, she motioned with her tail to make sure the others knew to keep silent and out of sight. Only when she was sure that the sheep wouldn't overhear her addressing the group did she finally dare speak, "It's likely that the sheep is going back to the herd. I want one of you to go scope out the situation. Everyone else wait here until we know more about the size of the group itself. We'll have to plan our next course of action carefully. The ice and sleet is going to make things much more difficult, not to mention the males are a force to be reckoned with. Nobody proceed until I say so. Got it?"[/color]

She made sure she got a nod from everyone before sending the Burmese Mountain dog to follow the path of the sheep they'd spotted and come back with a report. And for a while, all was quiet - tranquil even besides the bitter cold air - but a shriek seemed to pierce that peaceful moment like a knife through flesh. Tumbling down the icy rocks, the dog she'd sent forward came scrambling to the group, tumbling into another dog, and nearly sending them both flying off the edge of the cliffside. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"[/color] Brooke snarled. But the sound of thundering hooves answered everything she needed to know in that next moment. Over the top of the mountain, the sheep came charging down, years of expertize with the climate making their footing sure as they came parading downwards.

Meanwhile, here were six dogs hardly able to climb the mountain without slipping. Running downhill was sure to be a disaster. But what else could they do but flee? The fear scent of the panicking sheep overwhelmed Brooke before she could even make her orders, "Everyone scatter! Groups of two! Don't try to attack them! Just get to safety!"[/color]

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[Jay]

June stood caitiously, silently as the sheep made it's way out of hearing range, and then turned to Brooke as she gave orders.
"It's likely that the sheep is going back to the herd. I want one of you to go scope out the situation. Everyone else wait here until we know more about the size of the group itself. We'll have to plan our next course of action carefully. The ice and sleet is going to make things much more difficult, not to mention the males are a force to be reckoned with. Nobody proceed until I say so. Got it?" June nodded, watching as Brooke sent the Bernese Mountain Dog ahead of them, up the trail to follow the sheep. A few moments passed, the bitter cold of the mountain holding a suspenseful tranquility.

Then a shock, a shriek from up the path, the dog came barrelling down the path, running into his friend from earlier and nearly causing them both to tumble from the cliffside. Brooke quickly snapped at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She snarled, only to be cut short. June felt her eyes widen as her head snapped towards the path, ears pricked at the sound of thundering hooves. The sheep appeared, the entire herd. June looked to Brooke as she gave her orders.
"Everyone scatter! Groups of two! Don't try to attack them! Just get to safety!" As the other four dogs paired together, June turned to Brooke, then looked to the fast approaching herd.
"We have to find some way to get off the paths. There was a cave just down the path we are on, we can hide in there." She told Brooke, waiting for her response anxiously.

[SMIFFAGRIFF]

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Brooke nodded curtly to June at the suggestion, hesitating only briefly to watch as the other two pairs of dogs started to scramble in different directions down the mountain. She could only pray that they made it out of this alive. Hell, she could only pray she and June made it as well. Whipping back around she yelled over the thundering of the stampede, "Lead the way!"[/color] Letting the younger female lead her along, Brooke almost felt out of place. She was always the one leading. But her life depended on June's memory of where this place was. She just hope neither of them slipped and fell to their deaths of the edge of the cliffside.... or worse, get trampled by those sharp hooves into the sleet and rock.

Brooke shuddered visibly at the mere thought of that.

What a horrible way to die...

The ground started to become upturned as the stampede swarmed all around her and June. She knew they would catch up. Brooke could only hope that one of them wouldn't ram her and her companion out of the way at this point. Several times, she slipped, only barely dodging hooves and horns, or scrambling back up to solid ground when part of her body hung off the edge of the cliff.

And then she saw it. The cave. The path was much too thin to the entrance for them to both cross at once, however, and so Brooke nudged June forward first, "Watch your step, don't look down, and don't look back! I'll be behind you!"[/color]

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