Vintosa & Xutain
A year old now, two of Pheral's seven offspring had set off on their own. They were long-legged and long-snouted, with brittle fur and four sharp tusks each. Each had white socks in the front, while the rest of their fur was mostly black and dark gray. Vintosa had a splash of orange that rode up her snout and ended at the top of her shoulders, while Xutain had a white beard and a few patches of tan across her sides. And while having the long legs of their mother, they wouldn't grow so large as the massive sow. Rather than the 600+ pound Pheral, these two would only grow to around 300 pounds. Right now, they weiged in at around 120 each, with Xutain being a touch larger.
Keen noses guided the two sister along a narrow ledge, where one miss-step could send them tumbling to their deaths. But the two were sure-footed and nimble. And so they traveled along, stopping now and then to root up a tasty bug, or munch on a plant.
Dakota
Dakota smelled food. Fortunate for the pigs, the cougar had already eaten. She prowled in the bushes near the sisters, watching them carefully. Her instincts told her to chase them away or save them for tomorrow's meal, but she thought trice. They looked like they would be perfect for the hunting pack. She emerged from the bushes and flicked her tail. "You have entered the land of the Sombra Cazadores. State your names and your purpose for being here." She said regally.
Vintosa & Xutain
The two sisters braced together, standing shoulder to shoulder when Dakota stepped out from the brush. Their feelings about cougars were mixed; Namir was their friend, and yet they knew that other cougars would kill them if given the chance.
"I am Vintosa, and this is my sister Xutain. We are friends of the cougar Namir... but he have no home." The smaller sister replied, hoping that dropping the cougar reference would help.
Dakota
Dakota sat down and relaxed. She didn't know who Namir was, and she didn't really care. "And I am Dakota, Alpha of the Sombra Cazadores. We are a growing hunting group." She replied. Suddenly, she got an idea. Why not invite the pigs herself? She was sure that they would be of some use. "How would you like to help us out? You look like good hunters. But if you would like, there are several different tasks to be done behind the lines of battle."
Vintosa & Xutain
Vintosa and Xutain exchanged looks before the smaller sister spoke up again, "We would gladly accept such an offer. May was ask, though, if you have any alliances or enemies?" Although Cortinarri was 'allianced' with the Shadow Haunters, she was not loyal to them, but merely using them as protection for herself. Strange thing was, she was also allianced with the Shadow Lurkers, as well as the Sedge Creek and Silver Glades, though loosely.
In any case, the two sisters thought it would be nice to join a pack like this, for it would be similar to their mother.
Dakota/Hal
Dakota smiled. "Good." She replied, walking closer the the sisters. "I currently have no alliances, and my only enemies are those who protect our prey." She then looked down the cliff and called one of the cats below.
Hal, a lean and very excitable Serval, bounded up the hill and greeted the pigs. "Hi. I'm Hal." He said politely. Although Servals usually hunted alone in the wild, he himself was a pack hunter. To start, he would explain the different jobs that the sisters could have.
"Stealth Hunters ambush their prey. Pack hunters work together to bring the prey down. Tactical Hunters come up with elaborate plans. Hidden Hunters act friendly to their prey, and then attack at just the right time. Spies get information on the creature they're hunting and bring it back to the hunters. Healers use herbs to help the wounded." He paused to take a breath. He had a way of speaking rapidly. "So what'll it be? I'm a pack hunter."
Vintosa & Xutain
This time, it was Xutain who spoke for the duo, "A pleasure to meet you, Hal." She greeted, truely inspired to see a creature like him. This was her first time seeing a Serval, though she had been taught about them by her mother, "We would fit best as Healers. That is what our mother taught us, and that is what we are best at."
Inferno + Revenge
Inferno walked up to them. She stamped her daggars and looked at Dakota. "What am I to be ranked as?" She asks as she looks at him, her strong muscles ripling.
Revenge walked up next to her sister. Her sharp daggars digging into the ground. "And I too, what am I to be ranked?" she asks.
Dakota/Hal
"Excellent choice." Hal replied to the sisters. We were in great need of healers."
Dakota's flaming eyes bored into the horses. "I do not choose what you are." She growled in a slightly annoyed tone. "But badgering me will ensure that you are lowest in the hierarchy."
Vintosa & Xutain
"We will do our best, you can be assured." Vintosa promised, dipping her head briefly as she said this. The two sisters watched the interactions between Dakota and the others, before Xutain piped up again. "How many of you are there, anyway?"
Inferno
Inferno pinned her ears back "I was only asking" she hissed at him, her flame filled eyes flared at Dakota. "You seem to forget our size, we respect you, cat, but we are not much lower than you when it comes to fighting"She stamped a sharp daggar into a low stump, splitting it in half.
Dakota/Hal
Hal thought for a moment. "There's Dakota, Austin, Kiki, Tomcat, Kaisho, Aakesh, Achira, Spellcaster, Inferno, Revenge, you two, and me." He paused and did the counting in his head. "So there's twelve altogether. Austin went out for more recruits."
Dakota snarled at the foolish equine. "You seem to forget that I am your alpha now. And you must remember that I am a predator and you are my prey. Don't cross the line, pretty pony." She hissed. She was usually a good-tempered feline, but the horse was going too far. Without warning, she lunged for Inferno's neck. Not to kill, though. It was a display of dominance.
Inferno
Inferno immeditaly rared up her daggars rising above the cats oncoming body....
Dakota
Dakota was hit in the head by Inferno's hooves. She fell to the ground, recovered, and got back up again. "You are a fool to behave that way around me, your leader!" She hissed. "You act as if you own the place, and you act like you are higher than me!" She narrowed her eyes. "For now, though, I demote you to Omega."
Hal's eyes widened as he watched the cougar, then he shook his head and looked back at the sisters. "Don't mind her..." He began, "She's got a bit of a temper sometimes." He couldn't blame Dakota, really; she was just putting the horse in its place.
Inferno
Inferno nodded her head in aprecitation. Ears still slightly pinned. "And what of Revenge?" she asked looking to her, larger sister.
Dakota
Dakota relaxed, but did not drop her dominant posture. "Revenge did not go too far - she stopped on the first warning." She stated, staring up at the horses.
Revenge
Revenge bowed her head and smiled apreciativly. She knew when to hold her toungue. " any postion is fine with me" which was a complete lie because she did not want to be a low rank.
Dakota
If there was one thing Dakota hated more than farm dogs, it being asked to be given a rank. "You cannot just arrive here and be expected to get a high rank. You will be a subordinate until you can prove yourself." She stated, keeping her gaze on the horses. "Everyone is important in this pack - just as important as everybody else. However, I do not know your strengths and weaknesses, so you must choose what your job is."
Vintosa & Xutain
Vintosa nodded again, "That is a decent number. When can we meet the rest of the pack?" She questioned, wanting to mingle in and get accepted straight away.
Xutain, on the other hoof, was focusing more on the other conversation. From the simple observation, she learned just how far Dakota could be pushed - which wasn't very far. The sister made a note not to cross the cougar.
A thought suddenly came to Vintosa, and she spoke quickly to add another question, "
Dakota/Tomcat/Hal
Hal tilted his head, then called down the cliff. " Hey Tom! Come meet the new members!" He exclaimed, then looked back at the pigs. "Many of them are busy but I just called my close friend up here." The golden cat prowled up the hill and bowed. "Hello, friends. I am Tomcat." He introduced himself in his nicest voice possible.
Dakota turned her head at Vintosa's next question. "Your family will not be harmed." She replied.
Vintosa & Xutain
"Greetings, Tomcat. I'm Xutain, and this is my sister, Vintosa. It's an honor to be joining such a diverse pack." The sister responded. Here was a creature her mother had not told her of, though it was obvious Tom was a small breed of cat.
"Thank you, Dakota" Vintosa sighed, glad that that was taken care of. She knew her mother could hold up against the average cougar or wolf, but not an entire pack.
Inferno and Revenge
Inferno stood tall over the small pack. She stamped a sharp daggar ecery so often. Then she seemed to get an Idea. "Dakota, since we now have, I believe three horses we could easily make a blockade when out on a hunt. Since Revenge and I are both big in size and stranght, and that newcomer over there is" she eye the other "well nearly twice as big as me...it would be perfect!!" she looked at Revenge.
Revenge nodded her head in agreement "We could also help whith herding them into your clutches" she chimed in.
Dakota
Dakota sighed. "Might I suggest being Hidden Hunters? You would hide right in front of the prey's nose and make them trust you, then you'll attack. If not, we have many other jobs that you could do." She offered.
Revenge + Inferno
Inferno snorted. "I would hide, but make them trust me? That doesn't exactly make sense" She looked at him.
Revenge nodded her head "I don't get it" she stated, looking at the other new horse.
Dakota
Dakota sighed. "For example, if we were hunting a group of deer, you would pretend to be their friend. When they least expect it, you'd attack! It makes perfect sense." She replied in a matter-of-factly way.