[Cobalt Mountains] Frostbound [Klyph, Hrafn]

[Hrafn Alaric]

-"Shut up!" Hrafn whispered with frustration. -"Damnit. Wolves!"

Hrafn walked to the poor old sod, the dog that barely breathed. It was in so much pain, a pity that Jonathon didn't get in a better shot. Hrafn drew his knife and in one quick motion brought it down on the dog. Next, he grabbed it's hindlegs and dragged it away from the pair, leaving the carcass 10-20 meters down the hill. -"The wolves'll be here soon. What are we doing? They fetch a good price at the market..." Hrafn asked, with a worrying undertone in his voice.

By then, it was too late for planning. You could already hear the barking.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon swore silently to himself; the arrow had failed to kill the dog instantly. Ah well. "Yes, it was starving. Why do you think it was starving? Probably because it was too stupid or soft or unlucky, even, to survive out here. I'm not going to waste food on it, and I'm not about to cart around a feral dog. Not on this hunting trip." And the howl began.

Jonathon listened as hard as he could, but he could derive little from the howl. Are we in danger? I don't know... Maybe they will come after us! And then barking. Jonathon immediately set into motion his little plan; although maybe they would arrive before Jonathon was fully prepared.

Jonathon moved forward a bit, towards the others, and stood facing the howl. He was on the lookout for flanking maneuvers. Wolves were pack animals, and they knew basic tactics. They could surround and defeat them quite possibly. "There will be several of them; they attack in packs-" At least I'm relatively sure- "-and watch out; they fight smart. Running isn't a good idea; they could outrun us probably. The more we kill before they lay off, the more we could get off this turn of fate." Meanwhile, he gestured for Klyph to stand on his left and Hrafn on his right, and both of them to stand back a bit. "A hammer may be a good idea; they will attack with teeth, which must be easy to smash."

Jonathon, after arranging the party, aimed an arrow at where he thought them to be. "They might be flanking us." Also, it was quite possible the wolves were too far away, and they were safe. But maybe not.

[Leviathan]

It was true, there was a howl in the distance, and though the three companions were more than simply caught up in the moment, they were all jumping to conclusions. Hrafn, being the oldest of the trio, and tended to convince himself that it made him physically older (a life amongst humans perhaps), heard the sounds of barking. Klyphaestus himself heard no such thing, since, although he was quite afraid, he tended to be more analytical and calculating. A studious person he was, and it helped him reason what fear was telling him to be so, and what was really true. Jonathon, was likewise startled by the sounds, but he himself being calculating (more in the natural hunter sort of way) merely prepared for the worst possible outcome available, a flank, being quite heavily overrun by what he knew to be a pack traveling animal. Although, should they be attacked by a standard pack, their chances of survival were small. Still, despite their positioning, their mental preparation, and intentional studying of their surroundings, the trio found themselves waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Their imaginations gnawing heavily at them, yet their focus was strong. The mangy dog, the one Hrafn flung down the small hill, if it could be called that, was now dead, its carcass was not dug into by various distant relatives or anything of the like. Silence, and darkness. Those were the brothers that prevailed now. Sunlight was nearly gone, Jonathon and Klyphaestus were worse and worse hunting companions as their light dwindled into nothing. Only Hrafn remained, his blessed vision through the darkness taking place of that once adapted for light. In the darkness, Hrafn no longer saw colors, but the world in various shades of black and gray. There was little that would slip past his gaze, but there was also little to attract it. It was clear now, the wolves weren't around them, unless they too played the game of patience, and even wild beasts weren't known to be that clever. There were options still to be decided upon. Search the wilderness more, though their energy was fading, their exhaustion was beginning to form, and hunger was now firmly settled. Camp was an option, to find a safe place to settle, or to hunt the animals they worried for only moments ago to be hunting them. Or, lastly, they could divide. Hrafn had sight in darkness, a bow in his inventory, and enough arrows to bring down a bear (possibly), would he make use of his nature-given gift, or remain in the group for protection for all?

[Klyphaestus]

'We're but exhausting ourselves.' said Klyphaestus quietly after the long waiting, putting down his bow. 'It's getting cold, and we need to eat and rest to see the sun.' He looked around.

In the swiftly growing darkness, Klyphaestus could only make out the shoadows of thin twigs on the ground. Some lay simply on the grass and dirt, while others were half buried under fallen leaves yet to be dissolved by the nature. 'Watch my back why I make us fire, won't you? The flames would help when facing those things out there....Wherever they're hidden.' He quickly picked up some dry enough twigs and a small handful of leaves, then put them down on a small patch of clearing he had made beforehand. Klyphaestus knelt on one knee, took out the flint and steel in his backpack, and began to start the fire.

Orange sparks danced into the approaching night and, before long, a young fire came to life between Klyphaestus' holding palms. Having to cook for himself gave him enough practice to make a fire with speed. Klyphaestus waited for the fire to grow and then added some more twigs into it. He stood up, rising to his full height and looked at his companions, finding their profile surprisingly rigid against the looming dark.

'Should we camp right here or should we move? I am no expert in choosing the perfect place to camp. If we were to go, perhaps we should take some time to make torches or to simply use the ones that we've brought along. If we decided to stay, there are matters to attend at once, I suppose. My stomach is crying for supper, and there is a rabbit and a...dog to take care of. Maybe we could climb up into the trees for shooting if we had any visitor.' Klyphaestus poured out the plan, if it could be even called as one, which had occupied his head for sometime, joking softly in the end with the attempt to lighten the mood a little. There were but three of them in the woods now with ghostly wolves that had yet to show themselves. The least the three men needed, Klyphaestus believed, was more bickering.

[Hrafn Alaric]

-"We'll stay here. Movement is pointless. The wolves senses are more alert than ours. I hope that carcass I threw will distract them for awhile." Hrafn whispered as he still stood by Jonathon. -"Be quiet..." he said as he gripped his hammer with one hand and a knife in the other. He quietly crouched out to a better vantage point.


Silence.

Silence ruled the night. Not to far, Hrafn saw 4 figures dancing in the woods. One stopped and tilted it head at Hrafn. It had caught the scent of the travelers. Hrafn jumped away from the vantage point. -"They have found the scent! They are on to us!" he whispered between his teeth. -"Someone take a bow. Try and shoot the first one who comes. Locate the alpha and kill him as soon as we can. They'll be demoralized and victory shall be ours." he advised the two as he took his stance.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon slowly lowered his bow, an expression of both relief and disappointment on his face. Finally, a chance to kill something valuable, something that would really sell, and make the trip a success. But no, there were no wolves to attack them. Well, then again, they probably couldn't handle a full pack of wolves... It was probably better this way.

"Got it... We'll lay up here for the night, and return tomorrow to the hunt. Perhaps we'll do a bit of hunting in the night; but none of us can see in the dark except Hrafn... and of course, probably the wolves." Jonathon was still worried they might sneak up on them, but not especially. If the wolves hadn't noticed them yet, then they probably never will. Jonathon searched around in the area, and brought back a bit of decent firewood, tossing it on the fire.

Hrafn sounded the alarm- wolves nearby? Not good. Jonathon was quickly on his feet, bow out, and with an arrow ready to fire. "Again? This one better be actual wolves. I'm hoping to catch something tonight!" Jonathon trained his arrow on where the wolves should approach from, seeing by the wane firelight.

[Klyphaestus]

Klyphaestus stiffened at Hrafn's warning and rushed to the nearest tree, climbing it with a speed that even startled himself. The tree was old, and its branches rough against Klyphaestus' soft, cool palm. He settled himself between two strong branches and took the bow in one hand while having an arrow in another. Finally lit by the fire, the dark around the three was pushed back a little. But it was not enough for Klyphaestus' human eyes to pierce through the night veil.

Whatever Hrafn had seen, Klyphaestus could not. And yet he waited high up in the tree, among the bare branches, covering the right side of his two companions from the air. His heartbeat was accelerating.

[Leviathan]

Paranoia seemed to be getting the better of our three, typically sound thinkers, hunters. Hrafn, an Isur that had convinced his forty years of life amongst humans made him human, along with a forty year old human's qualities. His sight, though far exceeding either of his companions, was still playing tricks on him. He was certain that he saw figures, be it wolves, people, or otherwise, yet there were no sounds that the other two could hear. There wasn't a faint sniffing, not a second howl since that first many minutes ago, and most of all, not even a glimpse of a furry canine. Hrafn had led them astray once again. Perhaps, if he was certain of what he saw, he should venture into the darkness where only he could really see, to find the source of his delusional sight. The fire though, hastily built and small as it was, would do the trick in keeping away any beast that wasn't desperate for food or warmth. The night, now finally taking on a chilling breeze due to Syna's gaze leaving the world and Leth's faint glimmering eye peering down on the trio through thick clouds above. The sky was cloudy, the darkness because of it, was nearly black. Hrafn was alone, in a sense. Klyphaestus and Jonathon, despite having bows, wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of Syliras in such darkness. A Master marksman, hunter, and wilderness survivor would have difficulty making any kill in such a night. Perhaps it would be best to sleep, tomorrow promised a new light, a new chance to hunt. OOCPlease don't try to force me to do one thing or another, Hrafn. I'll let you know if I am going to make four wolves approach or not. I've got several ideas for you guys, I promise. Trust me.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon slowly put down his bow, glaring at Hrafn. "Hrafn, the next time you sound the alarm, please be a tad more sure that what you are seeing is for real." Jonathon looked around in disgust at the surrounding darkness. "It has been a whole days' worth of hunting, and the only thing we've caught is a single, stupid rabbit!" Jonathon sat down heavily, glaring occasionally at Hrafn, Klyphaestus, the fire, and pretty much everything else.

Anything that anyone said to him at this point would bounce right off; he probably wouldn't even listen, and definitely not act. His usual air of constant surveillance had faltered; he was absorbed within himself, thinking... We all must sleep. If Hrafn thinks he can see in the dark without hallucinating every five feet, he can go out and hunt. But I'm staying here. Jonathon stood up after a few minutes.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. I also can't cook worth a damn. If anyone else wants to try their hand, they can cook up the rabbit. My suggestion is to eat off our rations. I have enough for one night; Hrafn, if you don't have any, you may have to share with Klyph. I believe he brought enough for others...?" He looked inquiringly at Klyph.

Jonathon pulled his bedroll from his pack; it was among the sparse things he had brought with him. He unrolled it out near the fire. "After eating, I suppose we could all get some sleep. I vote Hrafn for first watch." Jonathon sat down on the rough bedroll, his aura of vigilance restored. He watched both of his hunting partners with the eyes of a hawk.

[Klyphaestus]

Klyphaestus jumped down from the tree in a somewhat clumsy way and dusted his shirt. 'You can have mine. Leave the rabbit alone tonight.' He gestured at the dead rabbit hanging on a nearby tree close to the campfire with a joking smile. Klyphaestus was actually happy that no threats were present, and yet the false alarms sounded twice by Hrafn had irritated him quite a bit. Weariness swept over him, and the cold of the mountainous night was starting to show its fang. He chose to let Johnathon's vexed comments pass without a word, and placed his bedroll close to the fire. After feeding the fire with more twigs and branches, Klyphaestus put his bow and quiver aside and took out the rations from his pack. 'With those eyes Hrafn could make a nice watcher.' He paused, staring down at the dry food before him. 'A shame we don't have some wine.'