~Passaic Plain~

Yukan stepped forward, snapping out of his random thoughts. His eyes were on Rain as she bounded down the hill towards the plains. His tail raised and wagged slowly as his hunting instincts kicked in. His nose was already at work, ears erected forward and eyes alert. The scent of buffalo was in the air, but they needed to find the herd. He followed behind Rain, murmuring in a more serious tone, "We should scout out the herd first. A young buffalo would be best because it'll be easier to drag it closer to the den site. What are your thoughts, Rain?"

His golden eyes were locked up ahead, attempting to spot any movement that could be identified as suitable prey. His head was in line with his shoulders, tail sticking out and ears pressed forward. He was already keeping his body parallel to the grass to avoid giving themselves away. Rain couldn't do the same. Her coat sparkled among the green and yellow grass that danced with the wind. But, maybe that might be to their advantage? Yukan was already thinking of several strategies.

"If there are no calves, we can find a weak or injured bull. They are vulnerable due to their exhaustion of fighting for mates. Rain is swift. She could scout ahead without scaring the herd because they'll think it's just her. We need to get the herd moving so we can run one of the buffalo away from the rest, or separate a calf from the mother..." Yukan thought vigorously of several plans and strategies according to what target they eventually would agree upon. He followed right behind Rain as they trekked deeper into the open plains. The wind happened to be on their side and was blowing right in their face, carrying the scents of animals that were miles ahead of them.

"You smell that, don't you? A herd is up ahead about a mile," Yukan barked towards Rain, his tongue hanging down to the side. The brute was panting to avoid becoming overheated before the hunt.

"Yes, I do. Before approaching, is there something on your mind? A plan?"

Yukan stopped and glanced over to Rain. He flashed her a smile and this turned his eyes up ahead. He could hear the herd up ahead, even though they were not in his view. The scent of the herd was clear. It seemed that Rain was ready to follow whatever plan he had. He was happy to finally put his skills to use.

"I think it'd be best for you to scout ahead. It'll be easy for one wolf to walk around the herd without having too much trouble. They might attempt to mock lunge at you, but won't have a reason to run from you. As for our target, try to find an older bull. As of now, they are vulnerable because they are exhausted from their fights for breeding rights. One that looks to have many fresher wounds..."

Yukan stopped talking for a moment. His golden eyes set onto Rain as he tilted his head slightly, murmuring, "Are you okay with scouting ahead?" He wanted to make sure that she'd be fine with doing the task. It was a semi dangerous one, but he knew she was perfectly capable to take care of herself in situations such as this. He awaited her response before he continued on with what plans he had.

Yukan's ears pushed forward as he gave the fae a quick nod, barking out, "I'll be a quarter of a mile south of the herd. I"ll keep an eye from a far and attempt to target a buffalo too. But, you'll be closer so you'll be able to spot a weakness a lot quicker and easier. I'll get closer once I notice that you've locked onto a target and we can meet up half way and go from there."

He gave Rain a smile and continued forward towards the herd. After a few more minutes of romping around in the grass, Yukan veered slightly left and stopped, turning his head towards Rain. He gave her a quick nod before leaping forward into a well paced run. He wanted to get into a higher position so he could see the herd without giving himself away. Having left Rain to herself, he jumped through the tall grass and finally found himself near a small rocky hill. With the strength of his back legs, he leaped up onto the first few rocks, his tail waving around for little balance. His strong claws helped him keep his balance and traction on the slippery rock. A few pebbles slipped under his feet as he climbed upwards for a minute, finally reaching the top of the hill.

Yukan saw the plains spanning out for miles on end. To the west was the forest that covered their main den area. His ears flickered as he narrowed his gaze and glanced down below him. He spotted Rain a few meters up ahead, her coat giving away her position. It didn't matter though. A buffalo's sight was very low, and even if they did spot her, there was no traces of others nearby. His ears pressed forward as he watched Rain, studying her movements. This was a good chance to see how she moved, how she reacted, and how she thought during hunting. It would allow him to coordinate with her movements when the actual chase began. Up ahead he could see the large herd. It was difficult to pinpoint a weak or injured buffalo. "Now it's all up to Rain..." Yukan murmured under his breath as he leaned back on his haunches, his tail curling around his hind right leg.

Yukan watched the fae's head moving around, scanning the entire herd. He knew she was studying each buffalo closely, looking for any sort of weakness, aging or injury. He had spotted a few that might be good targets, but he awaited Rains decision, knowing that she had the advantage. The brute shifted his movement, his tail slowly swaying across the rock behind him. He was ready. His ears turned to the slightest sounds around him, but his eyes were locked forward onto Rain. Within about ten minutes, Yukan noticed Rain looking straight at a bull. Her position was pure stealth and readiness.

He pushed himself back onto his feet and carefully jumped down from rock to rock, his paws finally landing on the soft grass that covered the base of the small hill. His tail was erect and sticking out, signifying his readiness. The brute made his way closer to Rain. The tall grass hid his body. He paced himself as he hobbled through the grass, attempting to be as silent as possible. A light breeze flowed through his dense dark colored fur, and the smell of the buffalo was appealing. Within a few members, he could see Rain up ahead of him. It was obvious that she was focused on the bull that they would chase, and with a quiet yelp to signify his arrival, he stopped besides her. His golden eyes lightened up as he saw the bull she was targeting. It was a very old male who had fought countless of times. Yukan also spotted a large wound on the back of its leg. The situation was perfect for only two wolves.

Yukan lowered his head and spoke quietly, "Let's get the herd running towards the west. We need to both get onto the right side of that bull and steer it away from the rest of the herd towards the forest. Once that happens, we can both use more force on it." Knowing that it was now up to beginning the hunt, he took a few steps forward, keeping his head low. They needed to act quickly for the buffalo would soon smell Yukan himself and realize that a pack of wolves potentially would be near. The two were obviously both ready, so with a quick look towards Rain, he moved forward.

In an instant, the buffalo herd began to move away from the two rushing wolves. The calves rushed to their mothers sides as the two wolves were not far behind the herd itself. Yukan ignored the majority of the buffalo, but kept glancing at the corner of his eye to keep an eye on everything that was going on. His ears were flattened against his skull. His back legs kicked up a bit of dust and dirt behind him. His tongue swung to the side as his chest moved up and down rapidly from his heavy breathing. The determined brute quickly reached his top speed, slowly catching up to the herd.

It was obvious that the old bull's body was failing him. Ever few meters, the bull would stumble forward, quickly recovering from it and continuing on. He was tough, but soon his stamina would run out. Noticing that Rain was right as his tail, Yukan picked up the pace, sprinting forward and over to the right of the bull. Instinctively, the bull swings to the left away from the herd. The plan was going well.

Yukan gave a quick glance to Rain before he closed in on the bull. At this point, it was up to bringing the bull down. They needed to tear at its tendons to stop it from moving. The brute slowed down to pace the old bull and leaped in when he spotted an opening at the backside of the bull. The males teeth sank into the flank of the animal for a few seconds before he let go, feeling the bull start to kick. He gave a bark to Rain, hoping that she would take to the left side of the bull and begin to also attempt to bring the animal down down. Panting heavily, he stayed right by the bull, waiting for another moment to nip at its heels.

As Yukan paced with the elk, he noticed a white figure moving right behind him to the left. Rain had sprinted past him, her eyes clearly set on a certain point of the bull. He moved right behind her as she leaped forward, her fangs ripping the bulls flesh away. Yukan moved to the right as he saw Rain push off the bull and land on her feet, quickly matching the speed of the bull once more. With a smirk, he leaped right behind Rain and the bull. At this point, he was right at the heel of the bull from the left side. Rain had caused the bull a fairly deep wound that would slowly hinder the bull, but they needed to do a little bit more damage around the legs to stop it from running.

He waited for a few seconds for the bull to continue running, noticing that it was veering slightly to the right due to its fresh wounds on its right hind flank. The bull stumbled forward slightly, and with this, Yukans eyes became sharp and he leaped forward and lunged at the bull with his teeth bare. The brute latched onto the left side of the flank, his teeth sinking past the thick fur and into the skin of the bull. The bull began to kick, but Yukan refused to let go, knowing the bulls momentum would eventually kick Yukan off but not without tearing some fur and skin off, exposing its muscle and vessels. His plan worked as the bull again began to kick widely, launching Yukan back with a bunch of fur between his jaws.

Due to his agility, Yukan landed without any trouble. He was lucky, and had made a deep enough wound on the flank to actually rip some of the muscle which caused the bull great pain, but more importantly, to slow down steadily.

The bull began to panic. It was slowing down fast after Rain dealt another blow. Seeing this, Yukan began to slow down, knowing to steer clear of the bull. It would attempt to defend itself, using it's last bit of strength and energy it had left. He was right, he came to a halt as the bull released a snort and turned around, his head lowering to show off his beat up horns. It's small eyes glanced between the two wolves, but there was little it could do to keep up with their swift movements. Yukan knew that the both of them needed to be careful. It was an old and feeble bull, but a swift butt from the head could crush their bones.

Yukan glanced over to Rain, giving her a quick nod. He knew that she would take the appropriate actions and avoid injury. "We need to injure it some more... get the blood flowing more heavily..." Yukan thought in his head. The brutes tail flickered as he gave a lunge at the bull, turning left right as it mock charged, missing Yukan. His fangs tore at the shoulder as he bit into the bull for no more than a second, quickly letting go. He made another good incision upon the bull but they needed to break its spirit, and sap its energy so it would lie down in defeat.

"Just keep cutting," Yukan barked to Rain.

Yukan's ears folded back as he flew himself forward, noticing Rain holding onto it's flank. The bull seemed to keep going despite the white female gripped onto his flank. He decided to give it a little push. The brute ran past the side of the buffalo and leaped forward. His four front canines whisked past the buffalo's cheek as he snapped his jaws shut. Yukan was attempting to scare the buffalo into kicking. He didn't want to bite directly down around its face though, because a stab from its horns could be lethal.

The bull reacted and started kicking widely. Yukan stopped for a moment, glancing back to Rain, making sure she didn't sustain any damage. A loud noise came from the bull, causing the male to turn his attention back to him. It seemed like the male was going to stand and fight now. The bull was kicking up dirt behind it, displaying its horns and calling loudly. It was attempting to scare off the two wolves, but the damage from the flank caused the bulls back legs to weaken. They needed to somehow cause more wounds to the bull so it would fall.

Yukan waited for Rain.

His ears perked and head jolted up as he saw Rain fly from the buffalo. "Are you alright?" the male barked with a concerned tone. It didn't seem like Rain had taken that serious of a fall. He didn't expect the bull to suddenly stop and face the two straight on, but he did have a plan on what to do if it were to happen. Yukan trotted up to Rain, quickly scanning over her for any injuries. She had none. He growled lowly at the buffalo as it continued its display, almost like it was challenging the two wolves to attack straight on. His tail flickered as he followed Rains movements, also observing the buffalo. There were two of them, and one of him. This fight wasn't over. Yukan kept his eyes on the buffalo as he barked out what he had in mind, "There's two of us, and one of him. He can't keep his eyes on both of us. At this point, we just need to cut him and tear a few wounds so he'll bleed to death. Keep to your side, and attack when his back is turned."

With this, Yukan wasted no time in jumping forward and swinging around the bull. He let out a few barks to distract the buffalo into thinking he was going to attack which caused the bull to turn its back towards Rain. He knew once Rain attacked, the bull would turn to her. It was perfect.

Yukan's ears flattened as he bore his teeth. Rain had taken another shot at the buffalo and succeeded and now it was clear that the buffalo was torn between which wolf to mainly focus on. Seeing that it was already bitten by Rain, the majority of his body was turned towards her. The bull gave a few glances towards Yukan. In order for this to work, they both needed to move fast.

Within a split second of the bulls eyes turning towards Rain, Yukan leaped forward and bit into the side of the animal.The hide was tough to get into, but he managed to penetrate through it so he could take a chunk off when he leaped back. As the bull began to kick, he pushed himself off and landed softy. The bull took the injury. If only they could go for the neck, they could make the kill a lot faster. But it was impossible. The buffalo's neck was protected by a huge amount of skin and fur. They needed to keep going for the backside that was exposed. Perhaps if they could tear into an artery, the buffalo would bleed out much quicker. There were a few artery's that were easily exposed on the back, but either Rain or himself needed to bite deep enough to penetrate it and tear at it. This would mean holding onto the bull longer while they bit into the bull for a few seconds. Forcing the bull to be distracted for that amount of time would require a risky maneuver. He straightened his head and glanced towards Rain. "Rain, go for the artery that's located on one of its back legs. Do it fast," the male barked. He didn't bother telling her what he was going to do.

There was little he could do to distract the bull for the amount of time. The bull was turned towards him. "Damn bull, forcing me to break my own rules. If only we would have had another with us..." Yukan thought for a second. The male knew that Rain would react quick enough as soon as she saw what he was doing. He flattened his ears and pushed himself forward. His mouth were open as he tilted his head and sunk right above the buffalo's nose. In reaction, the bull attempted to swing its head around. Thankfully, the bull wasn't very strong and his attempts at shaking Yukan off were feeble. The brute jolted his head back. He wasn't trying to tear anything off, but merely to distract it long enough so Rain could tear into an artery.

(Sorry it's taken me awhile to get back to this, Rain. I'll reply later in the day once I'm back.)

Yukan released his grip as he felt the bull move his head towards Rain. While his feet were still on the ground, his spine didn't allow him to flex in such a way. His front paws hit the ground roughly as he shook his head, attempting to clear his mind. His ears pushed forward as he saw Rain's quick movement. She had managed to puncture an artery for the blood rushed out of his leg much more quickly. Within a few seconds of the new wound, Yukan lunged back in towards the buffalo. They couldn't let it off for even a second. He circled around the buffalo quickly and aimed for an artery on its other back leg. His legs stiffened as he tore back on the leg, ripping out a good chunk of flesh. With it came blood. He was lucky and managed to rip way into the artery. He took a step back, turning to the side for a moment. His eyes scanned past the bull in attempts to find out what Rain was doing.

A sudden sharp pain rippled through Yukan as he found himself lying on the ground in a daze. He was stupid for letting his eyes off the bull for a second, for it had managed to kick him right at his side. A low growl escaped him as he swung his body to bring him back onto his feet, his fur bristled and teeth clenched. A snarl escaped him. The kick had only stunned him for a moment, and the adrenaline rushing through his body was buffering the pain. He had enough of the bull. "Davay zakonchim eto..." the brute thought. But just as he was about to leap at the bull again, it's back legs gave way and the bull fell to the ground. His sudden anger turned back to focus as he watched the bull attempt to get back onto its feet. The damage on its back legs was enough. Now all they had to do was wait for it to die of blood loss. The hairs on his back resided and his tail lowered. His expression was now more calm for they were finished with the hunt. His ears flickered as he gazed over to Rain, wondering what she was going to do.

Yukan leaned back on his haunches, his tongue hanging out. His chest rapidly moved as he panted from the tough and long hunt. He needed to catch his breath for it was hard to breath from how hard the bull kicked him in the ribs. There was pain, but nothing was broken. At most he'd be bruised from the inside and he'd need a little rest. His ears flickered as he heard Rain. "Are you alright, Yukan?" the female asked, her voice sounding concerned. He gazed up at her and nodded with a sheepish smile. "I'm alright. I would have been worse off if you hadn't stopped the bull from kicking me while I was down though. Thank you," Yukan barked roughly with a gentle smile.

He stood up and stopped besides Rain, his eyes now fixed on the dying bull. He smiled at the sight. The two had taken down a bull that would feed the entire pack for at least a week. It was clear though that they weren't going to be able to move the bull any closer to the pack, so they'd have to call them over. His tail wagged slowly side to side in happiness. "Want to call the pack over for dinner? I don't think I can manage a howl right now.." Yukan murmured towards Rain. The bull was now taking its last breaths and it would be soon that they could enjoy their hard earned work.

(If you call for the pack, you should both post here while you're doing it, but also post something in the dens site so others know of it .)