The damp, heavy feeling in the air that spoke of an impending storm didn't even phase the big wolf. Crouched low between two bushes, all of Kaniel's senses were focused on one thing. Their prey.
Years of living as a human had taught the man to ignore his secondary instincts; as a wolf, the weather meant little. He had his coat with it's many layered still thickened by the winter, and he had his pack... as small as it may be. Sashi was somewhere nearby, he knew, though unaware that she was torn so between giving up or not. Needless to say, he would not be happy to find out her dedication had wavered.
The Elk was just ahead, its deep musk coating the inside of the wolfs nose as he stalked forwards; each paw was set with silent precision, avoiding twigs and loose rocks. Any noise would startle the beast, and Kaniel had lost one too many kills in his day by a misplaced step to be so careless when they were this hungry.
With huge antlers crowning it's head, the buck was pacing slowly from tree to tree, stripping the choicest of plants as he did so, almost as if he didn't have a care in the world. The pricked ears though, and the half rise of the beasts tail was enough to let Kaniel know that the animal was wary, that he'd sensed something nearby. They would have to be quick about it.
There was a rustle to his right, Sashi's lithe form appearing from the shadows of a nearby tree. Kaniel's strange blue gaze caught hers, and held. Neither of them had wanted to give up their Alpha position, but Kaniel had one out in the end; sheer size and strength did have it's benefits. Sashi, however, had more practice in life as a wolf, calling her pack mate a "city pup" by comparison. A flick of his ears backwards against his head, before pricking in the direction of the kill was all the communication that they needed. It was so close. They were going for it.
A few splatters in the canopy above signaled that the rain had come. The Elk lifted his head at the sound, gazing about the area, still suspicious. The shift in the weather made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, the drop in pressure giving him all the warning he needed.
Kaniel launched himself into the air just as the thunder rolled overhead, the thud of his heavy paws covered by the deep basso rumbling of the clouds. The Elk didn't even stand a chance. It only took a few long strides to cover the gap between wolf and beast, all the power in his hind legs bunching as he prepared to spring. Luckily the ground hadn't yet become saturated, giving Kaniel's paws the resistance they needed to push off.
Having seen the wolf only a few strides into the attack, the buck tried to make a run for it, wheeling on his hind and prepairing to vault off into the forest. Kaniel had been ready, however, using the power of his leap to propel further than he would have needed to go had the beast not moved. The tactic worked, a scream wrenching the air only to be covered by another roll of thunder as the big white and silver wolf collided with the Elks massive, antlered head.
Using his body weight to bring the creature off balance, Kaniel kept it busy and staggering as he waited for Sashi to join. This couldn't be done without teamwork.
by Sashi on May 29th, 2012, 9:46 pm 
