we feast like kings

She had begun to curse the valley and this wretched drought. The lack of water and the gradual drying of the river was already a massive thorn in her side. But the migration of the larger herds of prey towards greener fields only aided in her pack’s unrest. Food was essential, of course, but the wolves could last at least a week without. Water was unfortunately not the same. But when you have reached a point where both thirst and hunger begin to weigh in, things begin to take a more desperate turn. This was a point that the Suit had no intention of losing to.

But, as though on cue, a report came in of a large lone bison wandering the Sanzin fields. As most of the other larger animals had already fled the valley, this was their chance to at the very least satiate a smidgen of what the pack was in need of.

It had been a little while since she had partaken in a large hunt such as this. Seeing as Artemis had been an Ace of Clubs just prior to becoming Suit, she had her fair share of hunting experience. So the thought of taking down a bison just as she used to was an easy decision to make. And, although he had never been a Club himself, she thought of no one better to aid her in such a hunt than her Ace of Spades.

It was like a wave of nostalgia, bounding through the tall and dried grasses of the plains, nose and ears alert for any signs of their target. Sure, half a year may not seem like that long of a period to be without hunting, and yes, she had done a little bit of hunting on her own since then. But there was nothing like running alongside a companion in search of a beast as mighty, if not more so, than themselves with the intention of knocking it down a peg. It was refreshing, to say the least. And, just to add on to the satisfaction, regardless of how other more testy members of the pack felt about her or her ascension to Leadership months ago, she knew that none would reject the taste of fresh blood and meat when their stomachs were empty.

As eager as the Suit was to find this bison, she knew the art of patience when it came to creatures such as this. From what they had heard, this beast was older, an ancient being who had lost its way, or had been abandoned. While ungulates were prey, just as any other smaller animal, regardless of their lack of claws or fangs, they were not to be fooled with. Deer and antelope were far more forgiving. But beasts such as bison? Neither Othis or herself had any room for error, no matter how large or how old this being was.

When the dark outline of the creature came into view over the hill, she, just like her companion, couldn’t help but examine its features and its might. It was indeed old, as much of its dark brown and black fur had begun to grow dull and gray. And even compared to herself, a giant among wolves, this bison was huge, like an ancient still-standing tree. She also couldn’t help but notice many large patches along its body without fur, sharp lines of past injuries evident even from afar. This large brute had lived a full life, one that would have been quite interesting to watch in person. It was almost depressing to think that his herd had abandoned him. Nevertheless, his herd may see no use for him anymore, but the Sanzin did.

Though they did not speak, inaudible messages passed silently between Suit and Ace as the equally graying brute strayed to the side. The bison knew they were there; it was impossible that he didn’t. But, like many other animals they found themselves chasing down, it wouldn’t be quite to easy to escape his sights, as the distance between his eyes and his large head allowed him to get a better view of his surroundings. Luckily, Othis managed to catch the beast’s attention, allowing the large white wolf to lower herself into the thick grasses. Her large paws stepped silently in a partial circle around the beast’s side. Each turn of his head, she would stop, but his eyes would find their way back to Othis quickly.

This was when she spotted the same thing that her companion had seen before she. His legs were already torn and bloody. Not fresh, but still relatively recent. With any luck, he had a limp. But he still stood tall, suggesting that a little bit of a limp wasn’t enough to limit him. Golden eyes narrowed, pacing a distance from his behind and examining both back legs. One was far more stained with blood, large gashes decorating his skin.

With bracing in her legs, the beastly white wolf launched herself forward, jaws parting wide and latching on to the bison’s hindquarters right where his hip met his spine. Pulling herself up, she began to slam and rake her back legs down the creature’s leg, reopening already present wounds and creating new ones. Almost immediately she heard the angry bellow of the beast and felt his legs buck. Wind began to shuffle through her fur as presumably the beast began to run, but her jaws were far too familiar with the feeling of a large creature attempting to throw you off. As much respect as she held for this monstrous hooved beast, she knew her jaws were more powerful.


"Speaking." Thinking.

The thrill of the hunt rushed through Artemis’ veins as the large beast ran, her own mass clung to its rear as an extra set of weight to hold the bison down. She could vaguely hear the snapping of jaws and snarls on the other side from where she was, and though she could not see him or what he was doing, she knew that Othis was putting a plan of his own into action. The two of them hadn’t really discussed what they would do prior to heading out to track the beast down, but that was perfectly fine, as the two worked quite well together. She was sure that regardless of what he did, or what she did, they would both find a way to adjust and aid.

With another buck of its back legs, Artemis’ body swayed as the beast stumbled and lurched forward. At first she thought that perhaps it would trip and faceplant, but instead she felt a sudden jolt from the opposite side. She felt her body weight shifting and an alarm went off in her mind. If the beast were to fall, that would be quite beneficial. But not if it fell on top of her. Narrowing her eyes, the large she-wolf’s maw separated and all four legs kicked off from the bison, tossing herself off the beast. When she landed her back paws skidded, but she caught her balance quickly and ran forward as the beast also caught his balance and kept on going.

Golden eyes flicked to the side, catching glimpses of Othis going in and snapping at its legs, keeping pace with it as it ran. Her gaze turned away, scanning their surroundings for a moment. At their current pace and direction, they were going further and further away from the densite, which would be rather inconvenient when they inevitably took the beast down.

Sure of what must be done, the white she-wolf veered to the side, slowing only for a moment to pass behind Othis and to the other side where he had been previously. Her speed quickened as she ran along the bison’s side, catching up to its front. While the Ace snapped at the back legs to throw off the balance, Artemis began to leap sideways, snapping her jaws at the beast’s face. Either she would force the bison to begin turning back in the direction they needed it to go, or she would distract it enough away from Othis that he could make his move. Either way would only further their progress in their endeavor. With any luck, Othis could make it lose its balance while it was turning, which could give her the chance to slam it right off its feet.


"Speaking." Thinking.

It was difficult to tell initially, but it became more clear that their plan was working. Slowly, but steadily. The grand beast was beginning to turn, each dodge of her fangs causing it to further veer sideways in avoidance. With herself snapping at its face on one side and Othis snapping at its back legs on the other, it was only a matter of time before the bison would be backtracking towards the densite. Perhaps the ungulate had realized their plan, intentionally making its turn as slow as possible. Or perhaps their methods weren’t having as much of an effect as they intended. The beast needed more coaxing.

Almost on cue, she glimpsed the dark eyes of the bison go wide for a moment and a low but painful bellow echoed from its mouth. The white ghost acted quickly, leaping towards the beast with jaws agape, finding a smidgen of purchase on the its cheek. The bison let out another deep almost squeal, throwing its head to the side away from her. She lost her grasp on its face rather quickly, but the combination of her action and whatever pain Othis had caused had forced the beast to snap to the side in a bucking motion, now running right back in the direction they hoped for. Now all they needed was to keep the beast going in this direction and take it down once it was closer to the densite. A simple plan, in theory. But in action, it wasn’t quite so simple.

Artemis had allowed herself to fall back some, still running at the beast’s flank, but a tad slower to allow herself a moment of breath. She glanced to the side in search of her hunting companion. Words were unnecessary, as the overall plan was clear. But how they would bring the beast down was a more challenging question. The beast had already proven that, despite its old age, its balance was still intact enough to keep it standing and running. But no matter how strong its balance, how long could an old creature such as this truly keep going before it grew tired?

Golden eyes followed and examined the hooved brute, the smell of its blood a satisfying catch amidst their running. Already she had reopened old wounds the bison had endured previously, on top of both herself and her partner creating new wounds. Old age and loss of blood. Perhaps bison had large lungs and allowed plenty of stamina, but there was only so much one could do. It would not be long now.


"Speaking." Thinking.