Starscream, Kaiser, & Isias

Nose to the ground and ears perked forward, Starscream lead his blood family down from their home in the cozy foothills of the mountains, and out towards the rolling plains of the prairie. He'd roamed this particular area enough to know where all of the human roads cut across the landscape, and where there were pockets of shrubs and thickets that they could dart to for cover if they encountered any hunters. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful, and they reached their destination with no troubles of the human kind. The alpha skirted along the barbwire fence that surrounded the pasture, and stopped many times to raise his head and test the wind, both trying to locate Recon and the other pack members that should be here, and keeping a tally on any pets or humans in the area.

"We need to be quick about this." Isias whispered from her place trailing behind Starscream. Being around humans gave her the shivers, and little did she know that the aunt who's namesake she bore had been fatally killed at this ranch. Cortinarri rarely spoke of her late daughter, but she had refused to go on the hunt, which Isias put off to the wolfess' old age that was starting to show in these colder winter days.

Further behind his offspring, Kaiser was pausing here and there along the fence line to read over the scent marks left by the pets that lived here. There were quite a few of them, and from what he could read, most of them were at least part wolf.

Sylar, Soleil and Draven

Without the ties of her offspring, and having to constantly watch out for them, Sylar found herself padding beside her brother feeling a freedom she hadn’t felt in a while. She loved her pups dearly, but she did miss the unbounded youth she had once enjoyed, and this hunting trip would allow her to relive that for just a moment before she had to return to normality. She had stalked along beside her brother as they followed the fencing round the pasture, using her own senses to map out prey, keep alert for the humans, and alert so they could modify their plans as the hunt developed.

Behind Sylar padded Soleil and Draven, providing two extra sets of jaws, allowing enough adults to bring back a substantial amount of food for both packs. Sylar dropped back to instruct her pack to fan out, sending them around the perimeters of the fence to allow a strategic attack, before coming alongside her mate. Knowing their pups were in safe paws with Nachi reassured her, but their earlier wanderings had concerned her, and she couldn’t help the knawing feeling in her gut of worry. She had to put it to the back of her mind though, for the sake of the hunt, and so she set about busying herself to take her mind off Arcadia, Crow and Magadan.

“I agree with Isias. The faster we act, the sooner we can leave, and the less chance of confrontation. You take point, Scream, and take the lead. We’ll follow your command.”

In'Alak, Iariadie, Recon, & Sunburst

Hidden at the bottom of a small knoll that was clustered with sapplings and dense bushes, the four hybrids had waited for their alpha to return from his meeting with the Aspen Grove pack. When Starscream and Sylar led their group by, In'Alak slunk out of his hiding spot, with his family falling in line behind him and merging seamlessly with the others; they'd spent enough time with the Shadow Haunters to work efficiently in massive groups, after all. "I haven't seen hide or hair of any humans or pets yet." The wiry, small-framed In'Alak reported as he moved just behind Scream and Sylar, "Iari scouted along the fence towards the east and spotted several sheep out that way."

Recon fell back in the group, traveling towards the end of the pack, and fanning to the side closest to the fence. In front of him, Sunburst was trying to figure out where he ought to go, since this hunting stuff was a little new to him, and he'd never went after sheep before - he was use to running errands for his old pack, and being provided meat from those who's job it was to hunt. He was so distracted from his task in fact that he nearly bumped into Soleil, "Sorry!"

Sheep

The sheep were grazing in the far east part of the pasture. They were spread out all over the place, with a smaller, more huddled group close to the fence. Three or four of them had their noses pushed up under the last board to nibble at the longer grass just on the other side. They had their full winter coats in already, all fluffed up and ready to be sheered when the weather warmed up around spring time. There were some babies in the flock, big enough to keep up fine with the older sheep. They were more in the middle of the group, kicking up their heels in the chilly air and calling out loud enough to send the predators coming. A few of the more experienced sheep would pick up their heads and glare at the youngsters with a mixture of frustration and amusement before returning to their amble grazing. They expected their dog protectors not to be too far off in case the coyotes or wolves decide to come for dinner.

The elder ram was grazing on the west edge of the group, not really on alert but nonetheless feeling he was between any dangers and the flock. He flicked his ear around every few seconds just to make sure. His horns were big and curved all the way back on his head, definitely good weapons. But he was getting on in age now and would be a little slower to react than a younger ram would be. Still, his experience made him a formidable opponent and he had bunted a few coyotes and the occasional hungry wolf away from his flock in defense. He didn't know where the dogs were that usually patrolled the pasture every few hours but he really didn't care. They bugged him, the way they looked and smelled like wolves. They even acted like them when they rounded up the flock for the farmer, nipping at their heels and faces like a couple of rabid predators looking for some lamb chops. He had bunted a few of them in anger too. He did know what their job was though and in a stubborn sort of way, he respected it. After all, he might have lost more than the occasional one or two sheep from his flock if it wasn't for the dogs. They had fought and chased off the bigger groups of beasts that came looking for a good meal.

Starscream & Others

Starscream pulled further ahead of the group at Sylar's commanding suggestion, and felt the blood rise in his veins in anticipation for the hunt. It wasn't quite like tracking down wild game and having the exhilaration of the chase and take down, but when hunting the humans' prey, there was a note of danger about it all its own. They had to be quick and cunning, to strike fast and get away with their meal before the protectors showed up. On the other paw... Scream almost looked forward to having the dogs show up, having a sudden urge to thrash the pets just because he could. But he knew he couldn't risk such a thing when there were young pups back at home to feed.

Like a shadow, the alpha flitted along the fence in absolute stealth and agility, seeming to flow along more than sprint. And as soon as his eyes fell on the sheep that Iariadie had spotted earlier, he froze momentarily and nodded his head towards the animals to let his packmates know they had found their dinner. "Sunburst and Isias, harry that ram over there and keep him occupied." The alpha raised his head a little, looking out over the field as far as he could see, "Recon, keep an eye on the surroundings and make sure we aren't caught by surprise by any two-leggers. Now... lets do this." After he'd given the explicit instructions, he left the rest of the pack open to take on what sheep they wanted, though he'd keep an eye on what was going on and issue orders as necessary.

With an easy leap, he cleared the fence and set into a quick-paced sprint, moving straight for the small flock of sheep. His goal was to intimidate them into scattering, where it'd be easier for him and his group to select the most vulnerable individuals. Following shortly behind him, Kaiser cleared the fence next and fell in towards the right of his mate's brother, adopting the same sort of quick-paced jog that was aimed at unnerving the sheep.

Splitting up from them, Isias went into a full-out run towards the aging ram. She didn't intent to attack him yet, only to capture his attention and keep him occupied.

Sheep

The ram was the first to hear them. Raising his head from grazing, he blew through his nostrils roughly, taking in the two sprinting lupines with a mixture of fear and anguish. How dare they attack his flock? He was looking toward the one running straight at the heart of the flock when he saw the other one running for him. What the? He wasn't used to this head on attack. Surely, they didn't want his old meat? Shaking his great head, he nonetheless lowered his horns to face the wolf and started pawing a fore hoof in warning. It meant "turn now or kiss your ass goodbye."

The rest of the sheep looked up when they felt the tension in the air. The older females looked first to their leader, the ram, only to see him getting ready to charge a wolf. Wolf!? A younger female sheep bleated in terror at the word and sent the whole flock into a panic. Right about this time, one of the sheep on the edge of the flock saw the male racing their way. He didn't seem to have a target in mind, just running straight at the whole group. They were terrified. Bleats and cries filled the air as they all bolted, starting off in at least ten different direction. The babies raced to their mothers' sides, keeping pace as the older females without babies tried to defend them too, staying on either side of the youngster to shield them from the monsters' sights. A few of the sheep ran blindly at the fence in their panic, most streaming off in two directions once they seen the boards but two actually face planted. One very terrified one actually tried to jump it, instead tangling her front legs in between two boards and falling back on her back. Bleating in blind terror, she shook herself to her feet and took off toward the first group she could find, limping slightly on one of her front legs which she must have hurt.

They made their calls long and loud, hoping the dogs and maybe even the humans heard their cries and came to help. Where were those mutts anyway? Never there when they needed them. The sheep continued to stampede all over the pasture, staying in groups of fours and fives with the occasional group of three. The younger lambs ran in the bigger groups, their mothers' keeping them in the middle to make it harder to get to them.