Equiss

It felt wondrous to stretch her legs and run, for no other reason than the sheer joy of it. The air was brisk and refreshing against her face, without being cold enough to sting her lungs or make her eyes water. Her thick, tri-colored coat was more than enough to protect her from the winter chill, and by the time she'd slowed down an adopted an easy, loping stride, the wolfdog was actually panting to cool herself down. For the rest of the trip across the wild lands, she simply enjoyed the company of her mate, and indulged in whatever idle chatter came up between them.

Equiss' demeanor changed when they drew closer to the ranch however. Her pace slowed down and she frequently lifted her nose to the air, reading carefully through the scents carried on the wind. This may be the territory of her cousin Aidan, but it was also human land, and they weren't immune to guns like he was. There was Timber as well, and the odor of unknown canines that lingered in the area. "It may be safer to circle around the perimeter first, just in case the humans are out." She suggested to Patch, and directed her path along the edge of the fencing that surrounded the pasture.

Patch

Patch was wary as they stepped upon the human's territory. A creature of impeccable obedience, Patch still had enough respect for the fact that this was not his home. He was not welcomed here. Yet, this orders hadn't completely prevented Patch from following his pack here time and time again. And hunting was a different story. He took only what he needed, though. Patch was not a creature of destruction; he did not kill for fun. That was against everything his dam had raised him on. Patch followed the law of the jungle, as she had called it so often. Respect the circle of life, and you wouldn't encounter too much trouble.

Slowing beside Equiss, Patch flicked his gaze across the terra. Their presence would not be warmly greeted by the humans. It wouldn't shock the wolfdog if a gunshot rung out before they encountered Aidan. Hunkering close to the snow, Patch gave a soft sniff. There was no scent of nearby humans, but no one could be so sure. Nodding to Equiss, Patch crept across the snow. "They always find a crafty way to hide," Patch commented. "For such a dumb creature, they're getting smarter."

Equiss & Others

Equiss lingered near the fence line, nose pointed into the oncoming wind. She didn't immediately seen any sheep from where they stood, but scent told her they must be near. Possibly down over the next hill, taking shelter from the wind. Content as her stomach was, it still growled and urged her to enter the pasture and take on the easy prey, but common sense held the fae back. She blinked and looked over at her mate, nodding after a moment, "We'll have to make sure we find Aiden before they find us." The wolfdog began to trail along the outskirts of the fence now, stepping around or leaping over snowdrifts to avoid walking in the deep snow. Every now and then she'd stop and take a survey of her surroundings, hoping to spot either Aiden, or perhaps a sheep that had strayed from the flock.

From the treeline a few dozen yards away, a creak of noise and flutter of movement caught Equiss' eyes. She froze and turned her dial towards the trees, where several clumps of snow were cascading down from the branches of a large oak. "Did you see anything Patch?"

Patch

Patch's senses were running at full speed as he trekked along the fenceline, plowing through amounts of snow and halting to listening more intently. His blood ran fluid through his veins, feeling colt with anxiety, but also excitement. His warm breath misted the air as he paused momentarily, gazing at the landscape before taking a few pawsteps forward. There was a sudden sound, and Equiss was stopped. Patch came to a standstill himself, gazing over his shoulder at Equiss. "I...I don't know..." Patch breathed, his senses deceiving him. Were they overreacting? Or were they in peril?

Patch's skin felt clammy underneath his thick black and white fur, and he stood there, gazing back at Equiss with a flicker of horror. No one needed to be hauling a dead body home today. And in that moment, Patch prayed it was just a small mammal or an ally.

Equiss & IceWing

Equiss' frosty breath joined Patch's in the bitter air, frozen in a cloud of white that lingered only seconds in front of her muzzle before the breeze scattered it away. A second one followed quickly, and then another, accounting for her accelerated breathing. All her senses were trained upon the oak tree while her heart raced in the way one's would when potential danger was staring them in the face. The hybrid's muscles were taut and ready for action, waiting only for another flicker of movement, or a word from Patch before she would bolt. She knew that humans would perch themselves in the trees and wait for animals to pass by underneath, and shoot them from the safety of the branches.

When the movement came, Equiss snarled urgently to her mate, "Run!" She didn't bother to stay and find out whether it was a human or not; all she knew was that something big was in those branches, and it just moved again. The hybrid took off along the fence, racing as fast as her legs would take her. The only time she looked back was to see if Patch was keeping up, thinking that any second the horrifying BOOM! would ring out, and one of them would drop dead in the snow.

But it was no hunter in the tree. It was an eagle, the massive, hybridized daughter of Zhener; half sea eagle and half wedgie. Her wingspan alone was just over 8 feet, and at nearly 19 pounds, IceWing was as big as they came. Taking off from her perch, she caused another cascade of snow to plummet from the branches as she climbed into the sky, and began to circle high over the pair of canines, secretly amused at how flighty both were.

Patch

Patch had remained frozen in position as he gazed towards the thicket. Nerves raced along his body, shooting ripples of fearful pain into the fibers of his muscle. He felt his haunches coil, ready to spring off his paws and hustle away. Casting a look at Equiss, his eyes were filled with horror. For a moment, Patch lost his cool and was unsure of what to do. At Equiss's sharp command, at her sudden burst of authority, Patch erupted off of his hind paws and into the snow. He bounded through the snow, kicking up a flurry that blinded him.

Equiss was, by far, the swifter of the duo. Patch kept up, panting heavily from anxiety and perseverance. He awaited the battlecry of the gun, as well, secretly hoping that, if it did come, he would be the one to get hurt. As long as Equiss was okay, Patch didn't mind death too much.

Suddenly, a dark shadow passed above Patch. He winced for a moment, but was then perplexed. Lifting his muzzle, Patch caught sight of Icewing and began to dig his paws into the snow to hinder his mad pace. Skittering to a halt, Patch gave a soft bark to his fleeing mate. The wolfdog was at a halt, head elevated to the sky towards the amused avian. "This isn't what I expected..." Patch chuckled, flicking an embarrassed smile towards Equiss.

Equiss & Icewing

Equiss almost didn't hear the bark that Patch gave to her, so loudly was her pulse beating through her tall ears. She'd seen the shadow coast over the ground, but hadn't thought to look up as her mate had, and had kept right on running - and probably would have kept on going until reaching the other end of the fence, if not for her brain finally catching up to the other's call. Equiss came to slow stop, with her eyes darting quickly from her mate to the treeline, all the while wondering why he'd called for her to cease running. A perplexed expression creased her features, until a dark figure overhead finally got the wolfess to look up... and then laugh in an airy, incredulous manner.

"A bird?" With her tongue lolling out and her sides heaving from the sudden and frightful run, Equiss plodded back towards Patch and shook her head. She laughed again, this time with a touch of the same embarrassment that Patch expressed in his smile. "Thank our elders that the rest of the pack wasn't here. The falcons would have never lived this one down."

Equiss was ready to get back to the task at hand when the large raptor banked downward and began to glide in their direction. The smile that hung on Equiss' muzzle faded a little, if only because Icewing was a large enough creature to cause either of them a fair amount of damage, even if both Patch and herself could out-muscle the creature. "Aye! You two must be out here looking for an easy meal?" Icewing questioned as she alighted on one of the fence posts near them.

Patch All that, for a bird.

Patch dropped his shoulders and expressed an annoyed sigh. He was inwardly scoffing himself, a heat of embarrassment creeping through his flesh. He flashed Equiss a look, his body sinking. His pride took a major blow, but the wolfdog quickly shook off the feeling. The pain was swiftly replaced by a bought of laughter, as Patch suddenly realize how juvenile and flighty they had been.

"I guess age doesn't make us wiser..." Patch chuckled, butting his head into Equiss's shoulder. His heartbeat was lessening, and Patch's senses were starting to return. Icewing landed, and Patch took a few steps towards the avian. "That was more or less the plan," Patch responded to the bird, wagging his tail softly at the thought.

Equiss & Icewing

Equiss was still trying to gather her wits and shake off the last vestiges of terror. As much as her ego grumbled and growled at how things had played out just now, the fact that there was no hunter in the tree was more than enough to put the wolfdog back into the joyful mood she'd been in at the Dump, and to overlook her sullied pride.

"I'd like to think that was just a practice run." She murmured joking back to her mate. He earned himself a lick on the top of his head when he butted her shoulder, and snort of amusement from the large raptor that was watching the couple. It quickly became clear to her that these two were a pair, and she found their behavior towards one another quite endearing. Seeing no bristling fur or indignant snarls directed at her after frightening them so bad was also taken to heart by Ice, "Ah, then let me make you an offer. I can locate an animal too big for myself to take down, but something the both of you are more than capable of handling - I'll keep an eye out for trouble while you hunt, and in return I get to feed on it with you?"

Patch

The wolfdog gave his shoulders a slight stretch by rolling them, realizing how that momentary sprint had taxed him. Trying to shoulder off his age, Patch looked at Ice with amusement and an increase in friendship. Her bargain was tempting, and Patch could feel his mouth water at the aspect. An eye in the air was a great asset. And Equiss and him wouldn't find it hard to take down the thick-woolen, bumbling animals contained within this pasture.

Casting a sparkling gaze at Equiss, he looked for her response. Surely, she could tell the excitement bubbling within him, but Patch awaited her answer. "We are hungry..." He reasoned to her, his tail wavering. Even by sharing with Ice, the raptor wouldn't consume too much of the meal. They could leave with overfilled bellies, easily.

Equiss & Icewing

After the fright that Equiss had just gone through, having those extra pair of eyes to watch for danger could hardly be passed up. Not to mention a guaranteed meal, and likely enough meat left over to bring back a few choice pieces to some of their elder and less capable pack members. The wolfdog returned Patch's look with an eager one, silently proclaiming her interest in Icewing's offer. She looked back the large avian, "It's a deal. The humans like to hide in the forest sometimes, so make sure you-"

Ice laughed and shook her head, cutting Equiss off, "I know humans well, don't worry." She then stretched her wings and tail, first giving one side a flex, and then the other. "There were a few towards the further corner of the field. I'll circle above a good one when I find out, and keep a watch for humans and their dogs. You just focus on the meal." Before Equiss or Patch had a chance to say anything back, the raptor was launching off the fence post and quickly gaining altitude above them. From there, she began to fly west over the field.

Patch

Stepping underneath the lowest bar of the fence, Patch skulked into the pasture. He took a few strides forward across the ground, but halted. He would wait until Icewing returned and gave them the clear. Rushing into the pasture, causing chaos, only to discover the humans were still out and about, was a moronic idea. Instead, Patch remained hunkered to the ground, taking in the sheep in the pasture. Through his nostrils, he could scent them, and sense them. They were at peace, grazing about without an ounce of care. Of course, this would be depleted the moment Equiss and he rushed into the mass. He couldn't see many of the sheep over the slight knoll in the pasture, but figured there were older ewes. Patch preferred if they went for a larger, older sheep, just to get more meat. They were sharing, and Icewing was an additional mouth. And with the assistance from the avian, catching an adult sheep wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Patch turned towards Equiss with sparkling eyes, his blood pumping with adrenaline. As a carnivore, the thrill of the hunt was beginning to rush through him. "You ready?" He murmured with a touch of excitement.

Equiss & Icewing

The bird seemed confident in her abilities and knowledge of human ways, so Equiss said no more to the large avian. Not that she had the opportunity to do so; Icewing was lifting off from the post and climbing into the sky before the wolfdog had a chance to say anything else. Equiss squinted her eyes against the beat of air that ruffled the fur on her face, then turned and followed Patch beneath the fence. She fit easily through it, losing only a small tuft of fur to the barbwire, and stalked determinedly into the pasture. Once inside, the excitement began to rebuild in the female, and like her mate, the thrill of the hunt course through her veins and brought her heart to beating just a smidgen quicker. She gave Patch a side-glance and a toothy grin, "Ready."

High about, Icewing moved from one part of the pasture to the next. She was searching for the best target, with an eye for a particularly large individual that would go to feeding them all, and then some. Every now and then the raptor would tilt her slender head in the direction of the distant house, making sure there were no humans in sight, before going back to the task of selecting a target. After a full minute of this, Equiss shifted restlessly beside Patch and furrowed her eyes a little, "How long can it take to pick one out? She's got a full view of the field." Less than a second after the female uttered her complaint, an explosion of noise made her gasp in alarm and pin her ears flat against her skull. It was the sound of a gun, and it came from the treeline on the opposite end of the pasture. Above them, Equiss veered sharply in the sky and dove east with a sharp, ringing cry - a warning to canines to run, as if she needed to tell them of that. Another blast echoed out, and bark of several dogs followed suit. Though they couldn't yet bee seen easily, the group were heading out of the far edge of the woods, and moving towards the pasture.

Patch

As they waited for Icewing's return, Patch brushed his side against Equiss with a fierce look, interchanged with a wave of affection. He couldn't imagine hunting beside anyone else. In Equiss, Patch had the utmost faith and trust invested in. His blue eyes gazed off into the wide pasture with mounting hunger. His muscles felt achy as they awaited, and he fought the urge to spring into a sprint for the sheep. To simply cause havoc would be half the sheer excitement of this hunt. The kill wasn't everything.

But now Icewing was taking to long. Equiss audibly expressed what Patch was thinking, his tail drooping with the ache of waiting. Suddenly everything was changed. The loud explosion caused Patch to flinch, his heart leaping within his chest. Casting a wily look at Equiss, he barked, "RUN!" Pivoting, Patch thrust himself through the barbed wire, his fur becoming intertwined with the wire. He wiggled enough, freeing himself. Bounding forward, Patch looked back to catch sight of Equiss. The sound of the hunting dogs was ringing clearer, and a flood of panic rushed into Patch. They were good as dead if they didn't move quick enough.

Equiss & Others

The wolfdog's ears shifted and turned like two mounted radars, listening to the sounds of sheep bleating and rustling in the field before them. A deep breath brought their scent to her, filling her senses and upping her restlessness. Soft, familiar fur brushed against her own, and Equiss met her mate's intense eyes with a wild flare of her own, equal parts joyful and anxious for the hunt that awaited them. She looked skyward again, and repressed a sigh, wishing the raptor would hurry up. And then a horrible sound shattered the air.

Equiss' ears went back flat against her skull instantly, then swung forward again. Before she knew it, Patch's voice was shouting at her, and she was running flat out just behind him before her rattled brain could stop and make sense of it all. Through the fence she went, sacrificing several tufts of fur and a few drops of blood from where the metal barbs scraped her skin. Another shot rang out, followed by a short, sharp cry...

It wasn't Equiss, but Icewing. The eagle's flight went from a rushing stoop towards the forest, to a frenzied, desperate arch ground ward in a wild flail of wings and feathers. She landed a few short yards from the cover of the trees as a third shot ripped through the air just above her. She hobbled up and flapped her mighty wings, but couldn't regain the air.

Patch

The gun shots made Patch's body rattle. Every fiber within him was quivering with adrenaline as he ran. Suddenly, he heard a cry that made his entire body shake. Tensing, he threw his head around towards Equiss with the fear that his mate had been hurt. But it wasn't her. Who was it? Icewing! Patch, for a moment, contemplated not going for the raptor. It would be a short detour from running to safety, but he wasn't going to abandon the injured avon. Shooting towards to where Icewing had landed, he reached with his mouth and grabbed her carefully by the body. She wasn't easy to carry, but Patch couldn't start to complain. "I have you," Patch muttered through a mouthful of feathers.

Rushing after Equiss, Patch's body brushed against the ground as he attempted to minimize himself in flight. He not only had to care for himself, but now the injured bird in his jaws.