by Hopeflower » Sat May 21, 2011 6:48 pm
Savarna allowed Cirrus to climb onto her head and lowered him back into the nest. Xanthe let out a low groan as he got to his feet, stiff joints cracking. "It's almost time for the Hunt," he growled. The young adult members of the pack looked up eagerly at this. When he felt they were old enough, Xanthe usually took all of the younger pack members out to earn their places in the pack. They had to prove themselves in a hunting mission; the goal was to bring down a sauropod without any help from their leader. They were to scent, track, and stalk the herd themselves. If they were a successful team and brought down a meal big enough to feed the pack, Xanthe rewarded them with being the first to eat. If they failed, another hunting party would go out, and they would wait to eat as they would any other day.
Xanthe ran a thoughtful eye over the young adults. One day, he'd be leading his offspring out on a hunt like this, just as he had done once before. But now, he needed to focus. He nodded to Savarna and approached the excited younger Allosaurs. "You are the future of this pack," he began, as he had at the start of every Hunt since he became leader several years before. "And as such, it is time for you to participate in the Hunt. I will take you out to the game trail, where you will all do your best to find and bring down a sauropod. Remember, not one of you can kill one of them on your own. The objective here is to work together. Trust each other, because if you each try to work alone, you WILL get hurt." He made eye contact with each of them. "Once you have made your kill, send one of your packmates back to tell us." He looked back at Savarna. "Remember, we have some females in the pack who have volunteered to stay behind, or simply cannot leave, so there must be some left over to carry back." When his mate smiled at him, he nodded again and growled, "Alright. It's time. Come." The dominant male of the pack led the young adults out with smooth, easy strides, heading for a nearby game trail where sauropods passed through now and again.
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown