Alone.

Mystery chuckles along with her mate "Lots of curse words in chipmunk." She laughs lightly, now having to pay more attention also so she could move around whatever Kih voided. When he stopped suddenly she did to, shifting lighty on her pads as she followed his line of sight to see the large hoof print engraved into the terra. Hearing Kih taking a deep she looked up at him, his eyes closed she shifted on her pads once again. Watching as he opened his eyes again and lowered his hinds to the terra to lick at her maw. She listened at his plans then, nodding gently a few times to him. "Alright babe sounds good, lead the way." She tells him, tassle swaying gently.

Kihyah grins and nods, picking his hinds up off the terra before heading off towards the river. It took them about a half hour to reach where the elk had crossed the river, it was shallow and less turbulent waters, which would make for easy crossing for the elk and their fawn. He galloped into the water, the shallows seeming to go on forever until finally towards the middle he hit the drop off and had to start paddling across. Keeping a steady pace so as not to tire before hitting the other side, which only took roughly ten minutes for him to reach. He clambers out the other side and shakes off his pelt thoroughly before turning and watching her.

Mystery smiles as she sees his grin before he started off again and she took her place close beside him, her tassle wrapping around his every now and then as they trekked. She picked up her pace lighty once they reached the river and she watched Kih gallop on into and she did the same, keeping close to him as they moved through the shallows and she lowered her crown to lap up a bit of the cool liquid before she got to the drop off. It took her a little longer than Kih to cross, not being as good a swimmer as him with being born in the plains.. She didnt need to cross rivers or any kind of water like this like he had in the swamp but she soon made it back to him again, shaking the water out of her pelt as a chill rippled down her spine and her stomach responded just slightly by twisting softly inside of her.

Kihyah turns seeing she had made it across safely he quickly turns and starts off again, trotting up the side of the large hill that would take them awhile to reach the top of. He turns his neck lightly back to look at his mate slowing gently to nuzzle into her neck giving out a light murr as they cantered up the hill together. " My heart's already starting to race thinking about hunting with you for an elk. This is going to be great." he says his tail wagging swiftly behind him now, his eyes never leaving the path in front of him as he continued to gently push into her neck affectionately.

Mystery trots up to her mates side again once she was done shaking out her pelt and she rubbed herself against him lightly as he looked back at her. Starting up the large hill her tassle swayed gently as she imagined hunting soon and could feel Kih's excitment also. When he slowed to nuzzle into her she murred gently to him, pushing back against him as he talked. "I know it's going to be great.." She smiles "I cant wait to get over this hill." She tells him, licking and pushing against his neck lovingly as they moved.

Kihyah smiles softly, " Race ya to the top." he tells her pulling away lightly from her form, " Only rules, whoever makes it to the top wins. No cheating in the form of tripping cause I'd be too scared to trip you not fair to me if you can to it to me. We would go on the count of three." his tail wags behind him, it was a long trek up he wasn't sure if she'd be up for it or not but it didn't hurt to ask.

Mystery chuckles lowly, her tassle flicking lightly. "Alright... Three!" She yells to him before lunging into a flat out sprint towards the top of the hill. Her talons digging into the terra like kleets as she thrusted herself forward. Allowing her mind to shutdown and sit on standby so that the only thing she could focus on was what her peds were doing and her controlled breathing so she wouldnt become tired quickly. She enjoyed the speed as she ran and the wind blew past her nicely. She hadnt ran like this in a while.. Yes she has just chased Kih the other day in the field but that was a controled run, thinking the whole time. She wasnt thinking now, didnt have to tell herself to leap when there was a stone blocking her or swerve when a tree stood in her way. She had taught herself to run mindlessly, speed being the main factor there when it came to running away which was most of what she did when she had been alone. Realizing she was slightly more than half way there she slowed slightly to wait to hear Kih.

Kihyah was caught off guard slightly by the maneuver, he raced after her kicking himself for not having thought of it before he really let go and chased after her. His mind clearing as he raced after her tail, he picked up speed at the more level area's and slowed down at the more inclined. He caught up to her, his cheek next to her hind when she slowed and he moved past her quickly now there was nothing but him and that beautiful blue sky and he was ready to fly. A burst of speed catches him moving him steadily away from her for a few moments.

Mystery huffs lightly when she slowed and she watched Kih pass her, springing back into her sprint when he darted forward and she soon regained her previous speed as she caught up quickly to him and nudged his flank lightly with a wide grin before she booked it forward. She easily past him then, her smaller size and weight pushing her past the speed a larger wolf would be able to keep and after just a short while she was only a little ways away from the top. A wide smile came to her maw as she leaped sone large rocks to reach to top of the hill and once she was there she looked around, panting lightly as she plopped her hinds onto the terra and caught her breath as her heart fluttered away in her privous rush but both soon slows as she waited for Kih to join her at th top

Kihyah was surprised when he felt her touch his hind, he hadn't expected her to recover so quickly and he tried his hardest to push himself forward harder, his legs and lungs burning from the demand he was making of them. Not once winning a race against her it felt it would be nice to finally best her at what she was good at. However it didn't work since she easily raced passed him as he struggled to keep up. Bounding the rocks ahead of him, he knew she'd win if he didn't try something quickly. Finding a steeper incline, a short cut to the top that he could take he swerves to leap on top of them carelessly. Thin and unstable he has second thoughts about his choice when he reached one spot in particular. She was almost to the top, if he was going to win he'd HAVE to make the jump! He looks down with a whimper looking down into the deep gorge that if he were to fall wouldn't be very forgiving. He turns around, accepting his defeat with a heavy heart as his head tells him they would have made it. His auds lower against his skull as he makes the rest of the way towards the top in a slow trot before cresting the ridge and looking out over the valley spotting the elk about a hundred miles out. He gave his mate a loving nuzzle of congrats for winning the race before he headed down the other side, he wasn't sore about loosing the race he was just determined to get them an elk before day break. That...and he was lost in his thoughts, thinking about that gorge and it's deep dark depths. Something was tugging at him, in the back of his mind not about jumping it but something else entirely almost as if he had seen that exact place before. But he had never been there since they arrived at their home. He was rather lost in his own thoughts, but seemed to be able to navigate towards the herd of deer they were so intent on hunting.

Mystery smiles when Kih came into veiw, jumping up off her hinds to trot over to him and take her place at his side with her tassle swaying happily behind her. She murrs to him when he nuzzled her to congratulate her for winning the race and she licked at his neck gently in thanks before following him steadily down the other side of the hill toward thr herd of elk they were after. Soon realizing that he was suddenly very quiet and mindless in his trekking she nudged his side, letting out a little whine as if to ask him what was up.

Kihyah's ear twitched lightly on top of his head, catching her whine in them his thoughts busy and rattling around in his brain he didn't know what to do other then continue forward. Telling himself not to stop, but not wanting to speak on the subject until he could figure it out for himself he just hiked towards the herd. It was just a gorge, what was there to say that it looked familiar and what would that do? She'd say something like interesting but what was it really other then boring nonsense that didn't even make any sense to himself as to why it had caught his attention because it wasn't something he had ever seen before it only 'felt' like he had. How ridiculous, he thought to himself what was even more weird the feeling hadn't disappeared right away...he stops suddenly in his tracks before turning to her. " Do you ever have sudden feelings..." he shook his crown and started moving again, " Sorry...I'm not sure what it is that's bothering me. But we do need to get this elk tonight whether or not I can figure out my own thoughts." he tells her, his attention shifting back to the hunt and pushing that dark crevice out of his mind as he moved swift and more determined through the tall grasses of the valley to the other side. He met up with the woods on that side to slow to a trot as they drew closer to the herd.

Mystery's auds flicked lightly as it took him a bit to answer to her whine but she didn't push him, just followed along beside him as he tried to organize his thoughts some. She wondered lightly what he was thinking, saw as his aud twitched as he thought to himself. Him stopping all of a sudden she blinked once before stopping herself, rocking back on her hinds lightly to keep herself from falling with the sudden lack of movement. Her auds perked forward at him then as he spoke and she had just been about to answer his question when he shook his crown and started off again and she rocked back forward to follow him again, still listening to him as they walked and answering his question once he was done. "Yes sometimes I do get sudden feelings.. Not all that often though."

Kihyah smiles softly hearing her answer, " Good...now once we get closer we're going to duck into the woods here to conceal our approach because we need to get a good look at them. I want to pin point which one's may be the best grouping of elk to attempt to scatter to find out which are the weaker, more vulnerable elk before we just go running in." his voice low as he continued, " Once we've spotted our kill. I want you on my right side for this, we'll circle back towards the river. Don't race 'em there just take our time trapping off the one we want towards the river, if this is still the herd I saw awhile back there should be a lame young buck who got injured during the mating season. He'll be an easy kill if no other hunter has taken him yet, once we get him closer to the river I'll quicken my pace to keep at his hinds. I want you to wheel off right and flank him at the neck. Quick, easy kill." he tells her before sliding into the woods to find a good look out spot from where they could easily observe the sleeping herd.

Mystery nods gently to her mates instuructions, playing the little movie out in her mind a few times as she followed Kih into the woods. She watched as he serched for a good spot to see the herd closer up and she kept quiet at his side as he did so. She couldnt help her tassle from flicking lightly in her excitment for the up coming hunt and her auds twitched also as she listened for the sleeping elk.

Kihyah found a good look out point where he could see clearly through the trees towards the bundles of sleeping elk. His auds twitching lightly as his eyes scanned for the male elk. His eyesight however failing him when he needed it, so instead he went to smelling for the light scent of elk dried elk blood. If the elk were still there the dip in the river earlier may have re-opened the large wound causing it to bleed on the fur of the deer. He smiles as he smells it plus can make out that it's on the scent of a young buck. He grins padding down the incline of the woods towards the edge again, slowing down as he got closer to the line of trees right before the clearing, his body sinking lower and lower to the ground as he moved. He turns his head as if to look at the shadow blob that he knew to be the grouping of elk that the young buck was located in, however all he saw was a massive black spot surrounded by more lighter black spots. His heart pounding in his ears as he prepared himself to rush the herd with her to start singling out the injured male.

Mystery scanned the herd lightly once Kih had reached his look out point. She easily picked out the one in the little bundle of sleeping bodies that was slightly larger than the others and had a pair of antlers atop its head to display that it was a young buck considering the size. Seeing Kih's movement down closer to the herd then she slinks down close to his right side, her heart racing yet silent as she readied for Kih's signal to go. She stayed low, her stomach almost touching the terra as her tassle flicked lightly and her auds slowly folded themselves back onto her skullcap and she waited then, orbs locked on the herd as her pelt ruffled lightly along her spine.

Kihyah raced forward, the elk instantly waking from their slumber to let out long horn like sounds in panic as they clambered up onto their hooves. The young buck having a harder time standing it gave Kihyah the time he needed for his eyes to finally locate him instead of having to relay completely on his sense of smell, he rounded up some fawn and doe into the corral they now had headed towards the river at a steady stampede. He raced behind them snapping at one fawns heels as it scurried to the left and into the woods. He left it to continue charging them towards the river that he was slowly starting to make out in the distance. He lost three more elk to the left now down to a little more then fifteen he closed that window of escape so the young buck wouldn't get the idea to head off that way.

Mystery shot forward, letting a low snarl form in her chest before bubbling up though her throat and it ripped out from behind her lightly bared enamels to awaken any elk that hadnt noticed the two wolves charging them. She stayed to the right to corral the elk on her side as Kih did his. She kept pace with the large beasts, nipping at their hinds whenever they tried to esacpe the directed running. Her gaze shifted every now and then ahead of her to she how close they were to the river as it steadily came closer. She nipped at does and fawns every now and then and they would side step away from her and after doing that a few times she had the young lame buck in a place where they could pick him out of the herd without to much complication.

Kihyah nods to her, with a heavy pant on his lips that made him grin wide as he picked up his pace moving past the other elk. The young buck seeing his sprint, wails out as he tries to quicken his pace on the injured leg only causing him greater pain making him slower. Once Kihyah had made it past the rest of the herd who came to a stop once he'd passed them or had turned to canter off, he could smell the river meaning the elk would finally understand what was going on and just as he predicted the young male tried to escape over to Mystery's side.

Mystery gave a threatening snarl to the buck as he tried to stray away from Kih and she quickly flanked its right shoulder, forcing the beast to stay between the two as she nipped and teased at the injured ped. Seeing the buck eyeing her before he swung his crown around and back toward her, his long sharp antlers coming right for her she growled lowly as she ducked and slowed. She watched as the buck missed and slammed his head into the lame leg, she heard the buck wail then as he side stepped toward Kih and she lunged at the stumbbling elk. She locked her jaws into his throat, knocking him down onto his side as she toppled to the ground with the buck and she watched the large atlers closely as she kept his crown pinned to the terra, her enamels having already sliced through the major arterys in the bucks neck she waited as he bled out. After a bit he stopped thrashing underneath her hold and she panted now that she realized she was breathless with a racing heart. She turned, pulling away from it to see Kih.

Kihyah had watched as she latched on to it's shoulder, seeing the young buck react instantly throwing it's head back to try and have at her with his antlers. Angry at the elk's actions he storms forward and takes hold of the young bunks thick hind, ripping his teeth into the tense muscle causing the elk to turn his way. He watches letting go at the precise moment he had between the hooves to get clear as she latched down into his neck, watching as it stumbled to the ground. From the smell in the air she had struck the killing blow, he watched as the young buck's squirms slowly subsided until finally he lay limp. He had watched the elks life drain from his dark strange orbs. He looks to his mate when it's finished to see her backing up before turning to look at him, he smiled proud because she was his and because his plan had worked perfectly as always. His banner waving behind him as if to pronounce it to the world, he pranced over to his Mystery and nuzzled into her solidly murring happily. " We did it." he says giving her bloodied muzzle a quick cleaning. " Let's get this to safe keeping and I know just the place. Head the way we came." he says with a grand smile and firmly grabs the back of the elk with his jaws lifting his chin up to raise the elk up off it's shoulders, but still dragging a portion of it he waits for her to grab the neck to help drag it back.

Mystery murrs to her Kih as he pranced over to her and nuzzled into her and she licked gently at one of his auds, listening gently to him. "I knew we would." She breathed as he cleaned off her maw for her and her tassle swayed quickly behind her. She looked over at the buck then as he said they should get him to safe keeping. She moved to grab the bucks neck as Kih picked up its shoulder she looked ocer at him to tell him she was ready as she held the neck firmly in her jaws.

Kihyah started back with her, dragging the back end behind them it was a completely combined effort to haul the kill back towards towards where the gorge was. As heavy as the young buck was now completely dead weight he had to yell through his clenched teeth, " Break." before slowing to a halt and laying it down to take a breather. He glances about making sure nothing was following them since the scent of blood was fresh in the air, he really didn't know if they could keep it from a bear if it wanted their fresh kill and he really didn't want to find out tonight. He didn't smell or hear anything unusual and he looked up at his mate, " See anything?" he asks, not able to see to far out things easily got mixed together in the dark with his eyesight so he had come to relay on her to be the look out.

Mystery hears Kih's yelling though his clenched teeth she slows with him before dropping the large neck gently to the terra, shaking out her nape that had been in the same place for a little to long she listened as it cracked a few times with the movement. After her neck was done cracking she lifts her crown, gazing around the terra and sniffing lightly to search for anything that might want to steal their kill. She heard Kih talk then. "No I dont see anything. I think we're good at the moment." She tell him, giving the terra another quick glance before looking over at her mate and giving him a gentle smile.