Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:39 pm

May:

Alpha Kratos, still standing with his arms crossed and feet bear, looked over each face among his pack. Not many of them had much to say, which was well enough given what had transpired but a short time ago, yet he watched their faces with gentle keenness that he might have their input regardless. 

The woman, Logan, returned from the house while the Alpha had been in the middle of speaking and though he acknowledged her presence with a glance, he did nothing more to include her in the discussion. As for Toby, the Omega, Kratos ignored his muttering almost completely.

Theo was the first to speak up and Chime shortly thereafter concerning the matter of the spy in the ditch. Kratos furrowed his brow at them, for this was a serious matter, but he seemed pleased by their courage and initiative. Both were passive by nature, and Chime of certain smaller stature than most others, but Kratos felt confident in their ability to create harmony among pack members.

"Very well," said the Alpha, giving a nod to these two members. "You two have managed well here, so if you wish to be on top of that concern, I will trust you with his custody." Kratos was about to put the matter aside but added as an afterthought, "I don't suppose he'll be too hard a handful, but his loyalties are thus far clear and not in our favor, so you two will need to be wary." 

The Alpha looked to Zeit to see if this arrangement was to her liking, for he seemed to hold her opinion in high esteem. "Very good. I believe all three of them can control themselves, werewolf-wise. So I'll assign them to your group, Zeit." The Alpha's expression turned earnest. "Would you mind having the spy along, or do you think he'll present a problem to your group given the situation?"

******

Ulric still stood quietly by the tree. It was not really up for debate as to which group he would be sent with, if the Alpha was to be understood. Ulric could control his werewolf form, so he would be sent with the Beta. There would be no objection.

Ulric's inhumanly auburn eyes turned toward the dens when Logan came back from the building. He was still listening to the Alpha and he took note of every word, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His facial expression was firm and thoughtful, and when Logan took a crouching position on the ground near the group his gaze naturally returned to the Alpha.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:40 pm

Indy:

"Um yes Kratos sir," Theo fidgeted uncertainly.

Talking to Kratos directly to him was like poking a bear. It might not eat you. But then again, it might decide it’s hungry. Theo knew he probably shouldn’t push his luck. As it was, he and Chime were fortunate to have gotten their request so easily. But then again, he had made a promise…

"oh and um Kratos, sir… Um, could we also get Lev—I mean the prisoner—some clothes and possible sort of maybe a shower? He err it?, no um the prisoner… expressed some concern over that matter and um… a happy prisoner is a passive prisoner?"

Theo didn’t have a mirror, but he was certain if he did, he would have observed his face as bright red.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:40 pm

Hour Glass:

Zeit looked to Theo in an amused manner, just seeing the wolf as still adjusting to pack life, remembering how awkward she felt when she first had her own transformations with new pack members. Well, she was still adjusting as pack numbers always seemed to be changing as new members came, and she wasn't quite comfortable around the newest of pack member yet. Though, she was glad some of the members no longer left holes in her walls by throwing silverware.

"Toby, Theo, and Chime will all be good additions to have as the main scouting group, and if the spy has any common sense, he won't want to have a large group of hunters on our tails, as he'll be running with us" she replied crossing her arms, "but I think Theo and Chime should should stay and keep a closer on the spy a bit further from the hunter in order to lessen our chances of a runaway spy and shots being fired. Theo is fast enough to run with me and keep a closer eye on the hunters. We'd both be able run and alert everyone, and our group and focus on misdirecting the hunters."

The Beta looked to the group around her, except Kratos, almost daring someone to have problems with her plans. She then shifted her gaze over to the Alpha, to see if he had any problems with her plans as well.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:40 pm

May:

Kratos looked very satisfied by Zeit's response and he too looked around to see if there were any objections. Theo's question he did not immediately address, but the Alpha looked somewhat amused by the way it was worded. 

"We'll deal with that in a moment," Kratos said to Theo, then he looked at Toby and the rest. "Zeit will be the group leader, she will act as Alpha while you are not in my presence and you are to heed her to the best of your ability. Theo and Chime, you two will do as Zeit has said and keep the spy on a closer ring to the dens, very near to where Zeit and Toby will be scouting. Toby, you are rather quick and your coloring is good for the area, I think that if you're quiet you'll be able to maneuver well near the hunters without being seen."

With a satisfied nod the Alpha drew a deep breath and looked at his brother. "Ulric, you'll go with Zeit's group and do as she requires of you. Hawkthorne should be along later on to join the scouting group.." Kratos paused and looked thoughtful, then a smile came to his face. It was clear that he was considering something, but whatever it was he did not say. 

The Alpha then turned toward Jackie. "I'm not certain how the moon will treat you tonight, but I would like you to accompany my group." Kratos meant to wait for her response, but immediately afterward a thought came to mind which he addressed in that same instant.

"If at any time I call during the course of the night," the Alpha said, raising his voice slightly and looking over the pack with a serious expression. "I want every one of you to come quickly and silently to wherever I am on the mountain - and with the exception of an emergency - I desire that absolutely no one else howls until the moon has passed; We do not want the hunters to note our numbers or positions."

"Also," said Kratos, "You all need to be informed that Timothy is still loose somewhere on this mountain. He may mean to cause trouble for either group and perhaps even the hunters. We must be mindful of this, and be prepared for anything." This matter was apparently weighing on Kratos' mind and his voice spoke of a very real danger, though how much so he believed it to be was unknown. "Sabrina I suspect is with him," he continued, "but we cannot be certain. Considering the conditions of his disappearance, I believe I will have his main focus with me. But again, we must be prepared for anything; the boy has never been predictable."

****

Ulric did not respond outside a humble nod in the Alpha's direction when he was addressed, something that Kratos noted but did not pay much attention to. 

Ulric crossed his arms presently and leaned his weight on one leg while the other took advantage of the slope on which he was standing. It seemed clear in his body language that he was put off by the earlier event and would passively, though not altogether willingly, consent to whatever task Kratos assigned him.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:40 pm

Hour Glass:

Zeit nodded, listening to the Alpha before looking to her group. "We will assemble and go over the maps before heading out. The hunting party will be heading out soon, and we need to be ready to start tracking while we know where they are instead of hunting them down" she ordered, " and one thing to note will be if they have dogs, they will bark and work on alerting our position. Staying out of their scent range would be best as we scout the group." 

The Beta had her arms crossed, showing her rank, but submissive enough to not challenge the Alpha beside her. "Be prepared to be running for long periods of time. Ulric, you and HawkThorne will be a good pair as a team to help with the scouting party, you two being more hefty then TOby and I. Keeping more distance between you and the hunters will be nessicary, but you will be good in case something unexpected happens. Toby and I will be the closest to the hunters as we will be the quickest on our feet" she added.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:40 pm

Dez:

Stubbornly letting everything that was said amongst the group bounce off of her, Logan stewed in her contempt towards the alpha and the majority of his pack quietly. With a hard head, she predetermined that she would become a vicious beast once again, and that all of the plans would go awry. Once again, though this time to herself, she considered how naive the alpha must be, to try and plan something given such a severe lack of foresight. 

With every word that passed somebodies lips, the time seemed to go slower and slower. An anxiousness settled in, to get up and start moving, making headway into their supposed haven in the mountains. Yet here they were, droning on (or rather that's what it felt like to Logan) about details that would probably go down like a led balloon. 

Standing up, she crossed her arms over her chest and drummed her fingers against her upper arm, trying to distract herself on anything that wasn't related to this werewolf business. A bird chirping, a cricket jumping, a cloud in the sky. Her attention towards this conversation had long run thin, as she had decided long ago it was far easier to assume the worst would happen. Yes, even with this mindset, she had the audacity to consider the alpha naive.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:41 pm

May:

Ulric nodded in reply to Zeit's command, but his eyes drifted elsewhere. He could see Logan was becoming impatient, and looking at the Alpha he could see that Kratos was also aware of the fact, but was purposefully ignoring it.

Ulric drew in a deep breath and released it as calmly as he could through his teeth. It was a subtle gesture meant not only to ease his mounting frustration, but also to catch the Alpha's attention without speaking up.

******

Kratos did take notice of Ulric but he did not respond. He glanced up for only a moment before returning his gaze to the task at hand.

"Very good then," he said with an approving nod. "We all know where everyone should be then. Chaos usually ensues after dark, but if I know where to find everyone and the rest of you know where you should be, we should be able to keep the tragedies to a minimum. How you all perform tonight will determine ranks future duties. So I hope you all perform well."

With that Kratos uncrossed his arms and straightened his stance. Turning to Zeit the Alpha stepped aside. "I'll leave you all to go over the maps and terrain," he said. With one last glance around at the rest of the pack, he added, "If there is anything else that needs to be addressed, now's the time to do it. I'll be seeing to the spy."

Excusing himself from the gathering, the Alpha began walking toward the ditch and in so doing passed by Theo and Chime. But exactly alongside them he stopped and placed his massive hand on Theo's shoulder. "Learn everyone's positions," he said quietly. "If he tries to escape, you two will have to use your advantages to ensure his recapture."

The Alpha then proceeded past the two and continued toward the ditch, specifically the side of the ditch closest to the buildings. There was a gate in the fencing over there from which Kratos could gain access to Levi in the pit.

******

As the morning began to give way to evening and the time of the moon drew nearer, the Calagathorm werewolves continued making plans and preparations while at that very moment the hunting parties in town were closing their assembly.

The participating crowds had been successfully organized by Albert Rich and were now beckoned in closer to the announcer for instructions regarding the hunt. Others who had attended for excitement or curiosity's sake were now beginning to disperse as things quieted down.

It was mainly the leaders of the hunting parties who were instructed, but the plan was laid out in simplicity for everyone. Each group was given a particular area to cover in the proximity related to reported wolf sightings or evidences of the presence of wolves in the area. Harvey Bolt's group was assigned the mountainside beyond the Gelton's fields, a bit to the west, meanwhile Mildred McGordner's group would be tracking for wolves just off the road that passed by the Chandler ranch and wound off to the east. The three groups by the river would be directed to three different locations along the Monvac.

In this way the hunters planned to pinpoint the animals whom had been plaguing their town. The main task of each party was to document the population of the wolves around Reknab Bend, identify individual packs, and observe inclination of behavior toward humans.

It was the determination of Town Hall to discover if it was simply one group of wolves which had become so great a nuisance, or if all had taken to tormenting the residents. As most reports stated that the wolves mainly ignored livestock and specifically sought out people, it was suspected that the targeted wolves would behave aggressively toward men.

There were five groups in all, and each group seemed to include an average of five people, some more some less, but no less than three.

Four fine young men had been assigned to Harvey Bolt's group on account of his experience in teaching game-hunting, among them Robbie Gelton and two of his friends. Alfred Nickers had also volunteered to be in this group for his longstanding friendship with Harvey.

Thomas Clerk would be overseeing the three groups that would be hunting near the Monvac River, and as there were many roads and highways down that way as well, his responsibility as a police officer required that he make the hunt as safe as possible - for those in the hunting parties and otherwise. Several conservation officers would also be overseeing the hunt, and as a mandatory requirement there would be at least one game warden accompanying each group.

All while this preparation took place, Tammy had found her grandfather and the two had wandered away from the crowds. Mr. Trodder had his arms folded under his heavy coat and was leaning wearily on his cane while Tammy stood silently beside him. For a time they watched from a distance as the announcer and a conservation officer or two explained inaudible directions to the hunting parties. Then at length Mr. Trodder turned Tammy a brief smile and continued looking on.

"Why aren't you with your friends?" The elderly man asked after a moment.

Tammy looked at her grandfather, though he did not return her gaze. "Jenn wanted to see the guys off, but I don't think she's planning on joining them," she explained softly and somewhat solemnly.

Mr. Trodder nodded his head slowly, then glanced in Tammy's direction again. "What about you?"

Tammy let out a soft sigh and looked back at the crowd. "What should I do, Grandpa?"

"Don't you know how to use a gun?" Mr. Trodder replied. His tone was humorous and kind, but Tammy did not seem cheered.

"I'm a healer, not a hunter. I learned to use a gun to defend the cattle, I don't want to kill something unless I have to." Tammy muttered the last part, but she seemed rather resolved in her answer.

Mr. Trodder nodded slowly again in understanding. "You should go with Mildred," he said. The reply was in complete contrast with what Tammy had explained and she could not help but turn him a questioning glance. This time however Mr. Trodder turned also, and met her eyes. "They might not find anything at all, but I think you should go."

Tammy looked conflicted and said nothing, so her grandfather continued. "Someone might get hurt, and I'm sure you'll be able to help." Mr. Trodder smiled and his eyes lit up with a loving warmth. "You should be there just in case, and you need to be with the other kids."

"I'm sure I'm not the only person who knows First Aid, and Jenn isn't going." By the tones Tammy used when she said this, it was clear that she had been sarcastic about the first part and the last bit was spoken with some frustration. Yet the elderly man didn't seem to budge and his soft eyes made her reluctant to argue any further.

Just then the meeting among the hunting parties seemed to break up and the various groups pulled away from the main body.

There was a lot of chattering and laughing from the lads in Harvey's group as he lead the way to his truck. No sooner had the lads come over however, when a chorus of snarling and howling suddenly broke out from the small horse trailer hitched to the back of his truck! The young men gave a start in alarm, but Harvey only need make one comment before the dogs suddenly quieted to excited and curious barks.

"There now fellas," Harvey Bolt said with a laugh. He then would begin introducing his pack of rowdy dogs to the young men whom would be hunting with him. Alfred was already an acquaintance of the pack, so he need not be introduced.

Mildred McGordner came forward with her group to the vehicle very near where Tammy and her Grandfather were standing. The other groups pulled away too, but Thomas Clerk and several others stayed a while longer in conversation with the announcer.

Mildred led a group of three, excluding the conservation officer who had stayed behind, and how very quiet they were compared with Harvey's group! Though their faces were bright, they spoke in casual tones and seemed to have the seriousness of their business on mind.

As the situation was right for it, Mr. Trodder took the opportunity to speak with Mildred about the arrangement he had previously discussed with his granddaughter. Meanwhile, Tammy glanced off in the direction of the men and the boisterous dogs. 

Jenn was still around, and she seemed perfectly thrilled having her face licked and drooled on by a massive Doberman mix. The dog nearly knocked her over twice to get at her face and hands, but that was something of which no one else took notice. The boys were not as delicate or light of build and attempted to play around with the hunting dogs as if they were house pets.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:41 pm

Hour Glass:

It had taken time to explain the main trails the hunters may take, based off what she had overheard from the few meetings that had been called to warn the farmers of the wolf hunt, glad she had time to prepare her maps and a sort of battle plan to keep up with the hunters. She had done a brief perimeter run along the edge of her land closest to the town, now ready to lead the scouting group out to take position and keep an eye on the humans.

“Now, we will have to watch out for any dogs that are brought up with the humans, they’ll be one of our greater disadvantages as they’ll be the first to alert the hunters of our positions” she explained as everyone prepared to shift for the night, “stay downwind unless I give the command. We can use the dogs as an advantage if the hunters stray too close to Kratos and the more unstable members. They’ll scent us and give chase, so then we will have them chase us away from the rest of the pack.” 

Zeit sighed, feeling that by now, she was just rambling and repeating herself, showing some signs of being nervous for the night. Unlike her normal days of just being bossy and working on keeping up her ranch, making sure to continuously profit from her work, and making sure the herds stayed healthy. Her work was everything to her, without the ranch, she would have no home, only living as a wolf to feed herself. But now, there were much higher risks, which would could lead to the destruction of her life, and the lives she had come to accept as a sort of family. Her pack was now everything to her.

As her position as the Beta of the pack, it meant she would do everything she could to protect the members, even if it meant putting herself in danger in order to lead the hunters away from the more vulnerable members, and keep the towns people from gaining themselves an untimely demise. She shook her head, crossing her arms as she quickly calmed herself, preparing to become the leader of the small group, ready to do what her alpha wanted. 

“Let’s shift and head out, it’ll be good to be ready for the hunters once they first enter the woods, it’ll make it easier to track them” she commanded, shifting into her lithe form, having already changed into her werewolf clothing. She stood proudly, even for her smaller stature compared to some of the other wolves, her legs already aching to begin the night’s run.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 1:42 pm

Cathannah:

Only after the conversation had gotten well underway did Toby chance a peak upward at the faces in the group. All attention was on the Alpha; he was talking about hunters and groups.. He'd seen a group of people assembling before he left town. He'd seen their truck and guns... What this now began to imply made Toby's stomach feel as though it had been tied in knots. Was a war brewing or something? Why didn't they just find a place to hide for the night? Why did they have to play hide-and-seek with the people from town?

While in the midst of pondering these questions, Toby suddenly realized he must not have been listening; because something about a prisoner was mentioned and he totally missed it. Toby raised his head in an instant and look about for any unfamiliar face he had not previously noticed."Prisioner- Wha?" He fumbled, but stopped short as his name was suddenly spoken by Zeit, and later called upon by Kratos. Instantly, Toby's head went down again.

Toby politely turned to look at the Alpha as he addressed him. Though under his' gaze, Toby felt the size of a jellybean, and just as delicious and crush-able. How a man could go straight from inviting to terrifying in a single breath was something Toby could only wonder at! 

He nodded quickly and respectfully to what the Alpha had to say to him, not daring ask any questions that might clarify the situation, for fear of enraging the already irritated Alpha. As the conversation continued and Zeit laid out the plans, Toby turned a shy glance at his soon-to-be group mates: Theo and Chime..And.. That other guy with the weird hippie-look. He didn't know any of them very well at all- And that other guy, he didn't even know the name of!.. But hey! He'd often heard life-threatening experiences were good bonding moments. Who knew? Before tomorrow, they could jolly-well be the best of friends.

Toby found himself surprisingly flushed with excitement every time Zeit spoke his name. The fact that THE Beta had chosen HIM, of all wolves in the pack, to be her scouting partner... It made him feel pretty good about himself. Yet he also felt pressured- If he messed up tonight, the hunters would kill him for sure! Or worse, he'd escape the hunters only to have to explain everything to Kratos, who would surely kick him out! Then his Grandmother would be shamed and turn him away too-- Then he'd have to fend for himself and probably get eaten by werewolves!!--- Uh.. Bigger and meaner werewolves who didn't know he was also a werewolf, and wouldn't listen to him when he explained it, and ate him before he got to prove it... Yup, that was how Toby's mind worked.

*********

The group was gathering under Zeit's command and going over things one more time. While watching everyone else adjust their dress so they could be more comfortable during the shift, Toby considered the modesty of waiting til his shirt was choking him to death before unbuttoning the neck. If he did it now, he'd have an open shirt showing off his skinniness for all to see... No way! Too embarrassing. A minute of inconvenience was better then proving once and for all that he had a rib cage.

Toby nodded in response to Zeit's command to change, and promptly did so-- Yes, suffering the choking shirt and while risking ripping something. He merely undid each button as his mangy fur filled it out, and was soon just as ready as everyone else. 

"Uhm.. E-Excuse me... B-b-but about the dogs?.." He coughed, looking meekly as his group leader. "D-Do they know what they're looking for? B-B-Be-Because if they don't, we could easily throw th-th.. That is to say-- We.. uh.. Meat.. D-do we have meat?.. We could hide meat in random places; give the dogs something more to think about... W-with enough distractions, they'll th- thin- think they're looking for... meat?.. Maybe?" He fumbled, tugging at his own fingers and twiddling his thumbs uncomfortably.