Logs:Border Wars: First Blood

Border Wars: First Blood
"Next time stick to the plan."
Dramatis Personae Gunnar, Kaheya, Kharn and ST . A Fimbulvetr Pack log.	2015.11.13 The first blood is drawn in the inevitable war against the Pure. Part of the Border Wars plot.
Location Hanging Hills Woods
It's breezy and it's rainy this evening. There had been a howl that went out. One that was a call for assistance. This had been almost thirty minutes ago. Nothing had been heard since then. Maybe they got the assistance that they needed? Or maybe something else has happened. The three wolves that are here know this area. Kharn's shack is close and his parents don't live far from here either. Kaheya has hunted close to here on his own and Gunnar knows since he has hunted here as well. When a howl goes out for help, one of the first to answer will be the Rahu guardian. Gunnar, a massive dire wolf of grey-silver fur stalks out through the forest. He leaves a few scent markers on his way in case others decide to follow and find out what is going on with that howl. He isn't the most sneaky wolf, especially as big as he is in his Urshul form, but he tries to keep quiet as he begins searching the area where the howl came from, trying to find the source and almost certain it could be a trap. With a deer strung up against the side of his shack, Kharn had heard the howl in his near-man form. A grumble emanates from his chest as he looks at the bleeding carcass, it would surely attract something he didn't want. Hastily dressing it, he'd begun to lope in the direction of the call, hoping he wasn't too late. His near-wolf form lends him speed and he calls upon Luna for a little bit of celerity in case of danger. Kaheya has arrived, slipping into the form of an unusually large black wolf when the man had reached good tree cover in the darkness. This is not an area he comes into without caution, moving warily and sniffing around for scent. The Meninna slips along as quietly as he may, watchful of others who might be around. One might think he wasn't keen on running into the Anshega, especially while he's alone. When he comes across Gunnar's scent, the Cahalith alters his own path to follow the Rahu carefully. Amber golden eyes seek, ears up listening intently as his nose works to show him the way. The massive timber wolf isn't really trying to be sneaky, well at least not yet. He is making sure that others can find him, hopefully Forsaken before Pure, but he is staying keenly alert for both. The full moon stops once he is in the area, starting to listen for any sounds and sniff around for scents to start with so he can track whoever it was out here giving the howl for assistance. Mmm. The smell of blood drifts on the wind. Fresh blood. Kaheya's nose knows that blood as well. It's easy for the three men to find the scent trail and follow it. But they can choose to go in as a group or not. There's also a few more scents that catch the nose. Something that smells of Werewolf, but unknown Werewolf. The sound of branches breaking and heavy breathing would be heard from a way off as Kharn, in his Urshul form, comes crashing along at speed. He'd taken too much time hiding the carcass and was trying to make up for it by haphazardly charging. He'd caught the scent and charged on even a little faster. He'd fallen into the trail the other Rahu had left and tried to catch up. It isn't long before the Cahalith catches up to Gunnar. Keheya eases up and barely noses the larger Rahu to make certain his presence is known and he doesn't startle the other. His senses are alert, trying to pinpoint any sign of the original howler. That is when he picks up the scent of blood, blood of a wolf he knows, but also the smell of others. Very, very low he growls in First Tongue, <<Blood I know. White wolf, no longer Anshega, I'm told. Others ... could be Anshega.>> A pause as he takes a few more steps forward, <> But there are only the two of them. Or is it? It sounds as though another comes along Gunnar's path, but without stealth. Kaheya's hackles rise and he separates himself from Gunnar, not knowing the other who comes. The purpose for leaving his scent is served as he had hoped and the massive timber wolf turns slightly to place his head over the neck of the black wolf briefly in acknowledgement. He listens to the other speaking in the First Tongue and the posture of the grey says that he understands. A low rumble is the reply, << Scout. If you fail, lead them back here. I will ambush them. >> Oh and then comes another down the tail of his scent and the Rahu prepares himself just in case...sniffing for a scent. Through the foliage, Kharn spots the other two wolves and slows his sprint to a lope, trotting between the trees and actually /not/ breaking every single branch. His own hackles raise just a little, but he trots with his head high and licks his lips as he approaches. A single word is growled in the first tongue. <<Friend>> Having closed the distance, the heavy brown wolf pads right up next to them and peers ahead toward the smell, waiting for a signal to either rush or sneak. The black wolf eyes Kharn and then boldly moves up to smell the new arrival, to mark his scent. <<Who are you?>> Very leary, he circles Kharn, looking to Gunnar to see if he should linger or go ahead now, to scout and see what he may. The new wolf isn't being aggressive, so the Meninna starts to slip away to see what he may find ahead - if Gunnar or the new arrival give Kaheya no reason to stay. The dire timber wolf is a bit more relaxed than the brown, at least hackled not raised...but ready. Sniffing at the brown for a scent, he growls low, << Tides-of-Blood. Gunnar. >> He steps over, taking a chance with the brown Urshul and places his head over the back of his neck if allowed to do so. Either way the timber wolf continues in a light rumble, << Let Black scout. If he can, he brings us information. If not and he is caught, he brings us Pure to kill. We wait here in ambush. >> The brown replies to both, <<Slayer of the Crazed. Kuthgurim.>> His head is held high and his mouth hangs open slightly for any sign of immediate submission. When the timber wolf attempts to lay his muzzle over his neck, Kuthgurim would accept it and closes his mouth. He gives a snort of affirmation to the plan and lays low. Kaheya sneaks as much as he can. What he comes upon in a clearing is...gruesome. There's blood everywhere, as well as bits of guts that have been ripped out. There are two huge scarred wolves standing over a mauled body that appears to be male. The claws of the wolves are currently carving into the corpse, leaving a half written word it would appear. One of the wolves lifts it's head and draws a breath in. A twitch of one ear as he steps to the side and starts to trot in the direction of Kaheya. Someone wasn't as quiet as they hoped. The other wolf? He doesn't even move from the body, he just thinks the young wolf caught a scent. The black stops, using what cover he may to stay concealed as he eases slowly up the last little distance until he can see what lays before him. Ah, alas, the white wolf is likely no more, if the body on the ground had been that one. It smells like it. The Meninna waits, trying to see if he can make out what they are doing to the body. Are there really only two of them? Kaheya takes his time to try and get their scents so to mark them in his mind, should he cross them later. Once he's seen what he was sent to see, whether he can make out the mark they are putting onto the dead body or not, he backs away and tries to slip back to the others quietly as he may. Finding a place to wait, the massive timber wolf is low to the ground and ready for the return of the Black or barring that a howl that he is in trouble. He tries to sink into the brush as much as possible, or the autumn leaves. He is used to a more white and grey background as obvious by his coat...but he'll make due with what he has. Kuthgurim, behind the cover of a tree, takes the time to shift into Dalu form, still maintaining as low a profile as possible. In this form, he is wearing a pair of firehose pants, boots, and a machete on his hip. His senses are muted in this form, but he tries to sniff and listen as best he can. He can't make out the activity of the two wolves by the dead one, so he waits, muscles coiled to spring as fast as his bipedal form let him. The black wolf returns to the other two who are waiting. It's not easy to speak in the limited First Tongue that Urshul allows him, so when Kaheya gets back to the other two, he shifts back into hishu at least long enough to give his report in a whisper. The Mohawk squats down and eyes the Dalu before he speaks, "There are two of them. They have killed the white wolf I had seen before that Astrid said was no longer with the Pure." He glances to Gunnar, "They are doing something to the body, clawing some marking into it. I did not sense any more than the two." He gestures the direction and adds quietly about how far they are, then waits to see what the other two think. When it is only Kaheya who returns to them, the massive timber hops to his feet and listens to the black wolf. His lips pull back in a quiet snarl as it is revealed they are marking the corpse. A glance goes to Kharn briefly and the grey wolf offers his suggestion in a low growl, << We kill them. Little brother black, you should circle around and flank them. Look for signs of more, just to be sure. Attack from behind after we engage. >> He glances to Kharn again and rumbles, << I will begin the attack. We all strike the bigger stronger one first. The other will likely turn and run after we kill. We chase and finish. >> The near-man nods, green eyes glinting in the light of the crescent moon. Staying low, he would follow the timber wolf's lead, waiting until the last moment to burst forward. He doesn't draw his weapon, but keeps a hand near the hilt of the worn machete. On all fours, he would creep with a shoulder against the huge Urshul, ready to charge as soon as the other wolf breaks the cover of foliage they are hiding in. The Native American man frowns, "Kill them?" Yeah, he doesn't look enthusiastic. Kaheya eyes them both, and thins his mouth. It'd be another thing if they were chasing him with intent to kill him. He draws a slow breath and shifts back into urshal, not liking this. Once more clothed in a black pelt, Kaheya begins to slip away to go as stealthfully as he may in a wide circle to see if he can flank the further side of the two Anshega, watchful and listening for the rahu. With a small nod to Kharn beside him, the massive timber wolf begins to pad forward until he gets closer. He slows and quiets as Tides of Blood reaches the clearing and studies the bigger Pure, attuning himself to it before stepping out into the clearing of the grove to give a deep growl of warning to the very same Pure, focusing all of his attention on the stronger of the two. The near man is tense as the timber wolf edges forward. The wolf's demeanor changes and Kharn reads the change incorrectly. He suspected it was the wolf ready to catapult himself forward, not assessing weakness. The brindle Dalu is already through the foliage, reaching over his back to the mess of scars and pulling a two handed sword from it. In the lull before battle as he charges forward, the silence is shattered by his roar as he brings the sword down on the bigger of the two Pure, the blade biting deep. The smaller of the two Predator Kings startles a little when he sees all of the unknown Werewolves pour into the clearing. Where the hell did this come from?! He launches himself at Kharn, teeth digging into the big gingers leg as he tries to pull him away from the older wolf. Surprise! The massive timber wolf looks a little shocked for half a second when Kharn just goes all Leroy Jenkins. So the grey bursts from the treeline right on the heels of that ginger. As soon as he sinks the blade into the bigger of the two pure, the massive timber is right there, biting at him. His teeth just graze the Pure as it moves to attack Kharn. That wasn't the plan. They were supposed to be attacking HIM! Another growl comes from the Urshul. From another direction the black wolf comes as planned! Nu'tuk Romrr leaps from cover to flank the Anshega, rushing the slightly smaller wolf that's trying to attack the Dalu. He's no rahu but he manages to get his teeth into the other - but not as firmly as he would have liked. Kaheya snarls, making it three Forsaken against the two Pure. One must wonder where the rest of that pack might be? Anshega got this old for being lethal and monstrous. This Predator King is all of these things. The hit from Kharn makes the old wolf bare his teeth in appreciation. That was a solid hit. Then the darker wolf is lunging for Kharn, latching onto his arm and shaking with strong jaws that shred skin and threaten to break the bone. Someone was very unhappy. Kuthgurim snarls at Predator King's attack and muscles away from the bite. The blade's tip is held low, as if the future Ralunim is weakened by the blow, his defenses forsaken for a moment's respite. He growls menacingly and grips the blade tighter, blood dripping from the blade to the ground. The little Predator King turns and bites into Kaheya with a surprising ferocity. Just because he was small didn't mean he couldn't fight. He sees that the older of the two is handling Kharn and the other wolf so he turns to start taking chunks out of Kaheya instead! The smaller Anshega twists and is all over Kaheya, biting into his shoulder and neck. The pain forces a sound out of his throat even before he can suck in a fresh breath and snarl his anger! Teeth flash and trying to pull back, he turns sharply to lay into the smaller wolf. Yellow-golden eyes are bright against his black pelt even as blood begins to slick his own coat. After watching the older Predator King attack and bite Kharn viciously...the massive timber wolf is pissed! While the ginger backs off and plays defense, Tides-of-Blood lunges for the more experienced Pure and teeth flash as he leaps up and bites down on a shoulder with such force that muscles rend and bones snap as his jaws clamp. The Rahu holds on with his teeth, prepared to keep the Predator King down so Kharn can finish him off. The older Anshega's body is ravaged between the klaive injury from Kharn and then the vicious bite from Kharn. His anger flares but his brain stops functioning between the blood loss and the smaller form. He's taken far too much damage and the elder slumps to the ground, shifting back to human as he does. He's probably not going to make it. The brindle Dalu watches as the older Predator King is felled by his flesh being ripped away by the jaws of the other Rahu. Without an instant's hesitation he steps over the Hishu body and brings the sword up. The point of the viciously barbed two-handed sword is driven through the spine of the younger Predator King, through his guts, and on into the ground. A booted foot is pressed against the foe's body and the sword is wrenched free. In the settling din of combat, the blade, still dripping with the blood of it's victims, is slipped back into the scarred mass on his back. When the older King goes down, Tides-of-Blood releases it and turns in time for Kharn to skewer the smaller of the two Pure. He walks around to check on the one who had refected and finds no life as the dire wolf smells and sniffs the corpse. << What do we do with these two? Take them back with us? Leave them here to die? Make an example of them? >> The fighting has stopped and the snarling subsides. Kaheya's bloody but not nearly as much as others! He falls back a the massive death blow that the Dalu delivered to the younger wolf, damn near cleaving the body in half! The Cahalith is as surprised as any still breathing can be at such a blow that was, thankfully, not for himself. He pants as the other two see to the elder Anshega, Kaheya circling and wary that the rest of their pack could show up. His interest briefly turns to the first body to see what was carved into the corpse that had once been the white wolf. Not yet returning to hishu form, the massive timber wolf offers Kharn some assistance in getting the smaller pure stabalized. He gives low growls, assisting with advice on the bit of first aid he knows and watches as the ginger does the work. He sniffs the air, making sure there aren't any others lurking about and rumbles, << Carve a warning into the big one and let him die. We should take the small one back with us and question him. >> Gunnar adds in a light snarl, << Also, next time stick to the plan. >> The brindle Dalu's hands are inexperienced on the dying Uratha, but it's just enough to staunch the bleeding with a little bit of coaching from the timber wolf. He stands up, even more blood coats him, but he doesn't seem to notice. With a glint of mischief in his eye, the fiery haired Rahu grins. "You flinched. I thought we were charging." He tells a half-truth unconvincingly. His gaze falls to the haggard breaths of the older Anshega and he turns away, looking upon the word carved into the corpse. Kaheya has stopped panting himself as he looks at the body of what had been the white wolf he'd once met, briefly. He sniffs around that body and finally slips his form to return to a man's body. He stands looking at the one marked 'Traitor' and then back to the others, "Let us take this one back as well. He deserves funeral rite. Astrid will wish to know." There's nothing to cover or roll up the body in so it'll just have to be carried back, disembowled as it is. "I agree we should take the younger one back and question him." There is a little thinness to his mouth at talk of carving up the other and leaving him for dead.