The Loner and Lonely (private - me and Smoke)

Oran did the same, yet the opposite. He strayed towards the right of the buck, watching it with keen eyes.
Looking at Tarlio, he nodded that he was ready in position for his mark.

When Tarlio, crouched behind a fallen tree trunk, was certain everything was in place for the attack, he took the first move. After returning Oran's nod, the russet wolf leaped out from behind the mossy log and hurtled towards the petrified animal, pads beating heavily against the moist earth.

Oran bolted out of his own position only moments after Tarlio. The buck, frightened and frantic now, began to run in the correct direction. Oran's paws thudded against the ground the closer and closer they got to the cliff.

Ooc: You can power-play a bit for the buck to fall off the cliff ;3

Ooc: Thanks Smokey ;D

The buck belted ahead, desperately trying to outrun the pursuing wolves, its eyes blazing and legs thundering across the snowy landscape. Tarlio aimed and struck the deer in the flank with his teeth, wounding it and forcing the animal to slow a little as it kicked at its predators. So panicked and preoccupied with losing Tarlio and Oran was the buck that it failed to notice the sheer drop ahead.
A few seconds before the cliff fell away, the deer attempted to skid to a halt in an attempt to save itself, but evidently failed as it scrambled for a foothold in the thick snow before plummeting to its death. As it fell, a large amount of the snow that made up the majority of the cliff edge fell with it, forcing the two wolves themselves to claw chaotically for their own safety.

Ooc: I was thinking that maybe Oran could almost fall but Tarlio catches him at the last second, gaining Oran's trust a little more? :3

Ooc: Sounds good to me ;3

Oran clawed for a grip in the loose snow, but to no avail. His flailing only prolonged his stay atop of the cliff. His furious clawing at the ground began to wear away, and he started to slip down the slope and towards the edge of the cliff.

Seeing the young wolf in peril, Tarlio leaped forward, almost tumbling over himself, to grab Oran. His teeth snapped loudly together, missing the scruff of his neck the first time around as the two hunters continued to lose their grip as the ground crumbled beneath their paws. 
Tarlio tried again, this time managing to grasp the youngster's thick winter coat between his jaws. Heaving the both of them backwards, the russet wolf's hind paws finally found the rocky cliff edge under the snow, leaning back tremendously as the snowy ledge collapsed and tumbled into the earth below. Just in time, the two wolves were clear of the avalanche, and safely on firm rock once more.
"You never do that to me again, Oran," Tarlio joked, laughing with elated relief, "I thought we were both gonners for a moment there."

Breathing heavily, Oran looked at Tarlio with a new point of view. Oran gave a slight bow of his head. "Thank you, Tarlio. You saved my life, and not many would do that," He barked, being honest to the wolf he now knew he could trust.

"Well, I wasn't just going to let you fall, was I?" Tarlio replied breathlessly, smiling at the youngster, "You helped me catch my dinner."
The russet wolf peered over the cliff edge down to where the deer now lay, lifeless amoung the snow and broken branches scattered around it. "Speaking of which," Tarlio continued, "How's the best way to get down there?"

Oran gave a quick view to their surroundings. The cliff would be a bit different with so much snow falling away, but not enough to where the Ascent couldn't be used.
"Follow me. There's a slope not far from here. It's just down there a bit," Oran pointed out with a nudge of his nose. "It's how the pack gets in and out of the valley here," He explained, beginning his way to the slope.

"Sounds good to me," Tarlio replied, following behind Oran as he lead him north-west along the cliffedge. The drop was severe, and the loner was apprehensive about the slope his accomplice had spoken off. He just hopped it was in good enough codition for two exhausted wolves to drag a full-grown buck deer up it.

The snow was deep on the Ascent, but not enough to where Oran couldn't feel the smooth but graspable rock underneath his paws. He began to make his way down and went slower than he normally would to let Tarlio catch up.
"We'll be good as long as our moves aren't too sudden," He barked, his heartbeat finally slowing down form the avalanche fiasco.

Tarlio was close on Oran's tail, pressing his larger paws into the deep prints left behind by his companion. "You'll be right, there," Tarlio answered, "This snow is very icy. It'll be easy to slip."
The loner decided not to ask whether Oran was alright after his fall. The cub is probably shaken, and a touch embarassed, he thought, He'll want nothing more than to put it behind him.

"I'm fine, if you were wondering. Thanks for not asking though," The half-wolf barked, a smirk lying on his muzzle. He finally reached the bottom of the steep slope, and the snow reached his underbelly. He was glad that it was only like that at the edges of the hollow, since all the snow fell downward but not out towards the center of the ridge.

"You're welcome," Tarlio smirked back. It was, he thought, the first time he had seen Oran smile since the loner had arrived. When they reached the bottom, Tarlio could just see the body of the buck they had killed a little way away, covered in blood-stained snow.

"Let's get it before anything else tries to," Oran barked, jumping awkwardly through the snow. He knew that Tarlio might have a harder time since the wolf was shorter than him by a few hairs.
This was one of the things Oran was good at. Whenever the pack needed someone to go down into this hollow, they sent Oran because he could move through it the easiest.

Tarlio looked on for a moment, impressed by the young wolf-dog's skills. It was a wonder to him how the scrawny, thin pup managed to survive each Winter, especially considering the way he was treated by his packmates. It did seem, however, that his dog genes didn't come without their own benefits. 
The heavier build wolf followed Oran at a slower pace across the hollow towards the buck.

After quite a few jumps, the snow finally thinned out and only went a bit above the Omega's paws. He trotted over towards the dead game, and was glad to see it was most definitely dead. Something similar had happened before, with a buck falling over the edge and it was still alive.
"We should be able to drag it back up. The thick snow will keep it from falling back down anyhow," The halfer barked, studying the carcass.

Tarlio caught up with Oran and stood proudly over their kill. He wondered why there was so much blood around the buck. It had fallen over the edge of a tall cliff onto snow, breaking its neck. If it had landed on racks, perhaps, but the snow here was reletively thick. 
It was at that moment Tarlio noticed a deep gash stretching from the animal's neck across its side to its hind quarters. Looking up, the wolf saw a black branch jutting out of the side of the cliff, blood dripping onto and snow below. 
"It snagged against that branch there on it's way down," Tarlio grunted, "That'll draw predators and frighten away prey." 
The loner growled. Taking hold of the buck's neck, Tarlio pulled hard in an attempt to unhinge it from the ditch it had made. "I just hope old Marcios doesn't find out about the blood," he joked, "Otherwise we'll be the ones with the gashes."

"Put some snow on it and press down. It'll cover the scent a bit," The half-wolf barked, tugging on the dead buck. It was lodged deep into the snow from the height that it had fallen from, but not impossibly so.

With one last heave, the buck finally slid free from its crater and flowed quite easily across the snow. "That's not a bad idea," Tarlio remarked, before acting out Oran's instructions. The blood was soon covered in hard, icy snow, beat down by the wolf's wide pads. He could still smell the signs of kill clearly, but a deer might have a harder job in doing so. Besides, not much prey will come down here.

The half-wolf started to pull and drag the buck with the help of Tarlio. It seemed like ages, but they were finally half-way up the Descent, and Oran felt like his muscles were on fire.

Ooc: Sorry for the power-playing, Roo. It just made sense considering it would take us a long time for them to get it to where I put them between us. I'll change it if you want, and I give you permission to control Oran for them to get to the top :)

Ooc: That's totally fine, Smoke ;3

As they made for the last stretch to the top of the cliff, Tarlio could feel he was gradually taking mor and more of the weight. Though Oran was fit and light, Tarlio was likely to be more muscular. The halfer's thinner legs and lankier frame must make it a lot harder to pull such a heavy thing uphill. But nevertheless, he was making a valiant and effective effort. 
At last the two wolves reached the top and slid the carcass away from the cliff. Tarlio dropped the scruff of the buck and let its head fall limply onto the ground. He slumped into a sitting possition, tired himself, and cooled down, his hot breath misted in front of his face as he panted.
"Well done, there," he said to his accomplice, "I think we've earned a rest."

Oran only nodded as his behind practically slammed onto the snow. He wasn't the strongest wolf out there, and his small frame was built for running, not heavy-lifting.
Suddenly, a thought came into mind. "Tarlio, where exactly, did you come from? Another pack?" The halfer barked out, his panting causing him to break for a second as he spoke.

A sadness had always resided in Tarlio's amber eyes since he had first been forced into his loner life. At Oran's question, that deep-rooted sadness was the only emotion left in his face as he remembered the day he had lost everything. 
"When I was a pup," he began with a sigh, "I lived with my family in an enormous and powerful pack to the south. Our leader, Tafari, was kind and wise, and my parents, Kale and Tari, were his most trusted advisors and strongest warriors. But Tafari foolishly befriended another wolf named Sgrios. Sgrios was greedy and heartless, and soon murdered Tafari and took over my pack. When my parents defied him, Sgrios demanded their heads. They fled soon after, taking their cubs; Aurial, Corr, Mink and I. 
"But only I escaped. Since then, I travelled north and, after many seasons, found the pack of True Ice. They took me in and I briefly felt I had found a new home. But one day, a wolf named Oburoka tried to kill me and my friend, Luna. He was charged, but said that he had the right to stay in the pack as Luna's mate and future leader unless any wolf challenged him with combat. Of course I did so.
"Luna trained me well, but I eventually lost in the battle and was bannished." Tarlio glanced over the story of the fight. The memory of his failure was too painful.
"I soon came across Red and we dicided to find another pack before winter came. I planned to find out what I could abou pack law and use it to return to the pack of True Ice."
Tarlio looked up and saw Oran watching him. "But perhaps I'll stay instead," he put in quickly, not wanting to offend the younger wolf.

"I am very sorry for your hard past. But you mentioned Luna, from the True Ice pack, right? Everyone knows her. She's the pack leader's only pup," The wolf started. "Or, she was. Her mother has died and her father has grown very ill. She and Oburoka are now the head of the pack. We had a peace-meeting with them a few nights before you came," The halfer finished, his eyes scanning Tarlio for his reaction.