November 11, 2002
Snowspear leads a small hunting party on a hunt for branch horn. The hunt goes well but on the way back to the Holt they run into trouble.
**Branch horn.**
The familiar wolf-sending told the hunt leader what she already knew. They had been following the branch horn's trail for a while now. Snowspear stroked her wolf. 'I guess the old sniffer is not what it used to be, my friend,' she thought to herself.
Turning to the small hunting party she was leading this night, Snowspear open sent: **Charge and chase, or ambush?**
**Charge.**
**Ambush**
**Chase.**
**Looks like you're outvoted, Rock. Charge and chase it is. Mount up.**
As they all mounted their wolves, the hunt leader sent to her bond. **Are you up for this, old friend?**
Roottail snorted at her as if to say that he wasn't even going to dignify that question with a reply. Snowspear couldn't help but to smile at her bond's almost offended expression.
Moments later they crashed into the clearing where the branch horn stood munching on some leaves. The large animal never turned to see what was coming at it. It just took off.
**Rock, Dirk, go left! Halfkin, follow me to the right,** Snowspear ordered.
'This is good,' the hunt leader thought as she felt Roottail's muscles move under her and the wind in her face. 'This is what life is all about.' Her vision narrowed as she closed in on her prey. She knew Halfkin was right behind her and she sensed Dirk and Rock to her left, but the only thing that really mattered was the branch horn.
Soon the four hunters had the branch horn boxed in. Snowspear and Dirk rode along it on either side. Rock and Halfkin drove it on from behind.
**NOW!** Snowspear commanded. And then everything happened at once.
Snowspear thrust her spear into the fleeing animal's chest. Dirk leapt from Stalker's back, daggers drawn and stabbed on both sides of the branch horn's neck. Both Rock and Halfkin turned their wolves sharply in order to avoid colliding with the falling prey. The large animal barely experienced any pain as it fell. It was vaguely aware of someone or something clinging to it the moment before it hit the ground. Then it died. Both wolves and elves howled for the quick and clean kill before they made a litter to haul it back to the Holt.
They were still far from the Holt when Snowspear ordered a silent halt. Instinctively, everyone tested the air for scents, listened, looked around and emptied their minds of any disturbing thoughts. A silent halt meant possible danger. It was in everyone's interest to find the source of that danger quickly. And sure enough, it wasn't long before Snowspear sent, **Humans. A lot of them. Dump the kill, scatter the wolves and hide. NOW!**
In a heartbeat Stalker and Prancer had been loosened from the litter and followed Roottail and Preystinger deep into the forest. The elves climbed the nearest tree big enough to hide them all.
From their hiding place in the tree the four elves could only watch as the humans stole their kill. Dirk was furious. It took both Halfkin and Rock to hold her back.
**NO! Let me go!** Her sending exploded in their minds. **I'll kill them all!**
**Calm yourself, Dirk!** Rock sent back. **Surefire would have my hide if I let you go.**
**And I'll have it if you don't!** Dirk's eyes were locked on the humans below her. They were all she saw. As they started to drag the branchhorn away, the black-haired huntress struggled to free herself from the hands of her tribe mates. She almost made it, but just as she was about to break loose she felt a sharp pain across her cheek.
Shocked, Dirk met Snowspear's gaze.
**Count them!** The hunt leader's sending was boiling with suppressed rage. **There are two hands and two of them, Dirk. One hand of us. Attacking them would be suicide.**
Quick to recover from the initial shock of being slapped in the face, Dirk pressed on. **Do I look like I care? If I can take a few stinking humans with me it will be well worth it!**
**For Highbelt's sake, Dirk, listen to yourself!** Rock sent. **How can you even think like that?**
**It's easy. You should try it some time.** Dirk's eyes were starting to radiate pure madness.
Snowspear raised her hand to strike her friend a second time, but Rock grabbed her hand. He had a better idea.
**We will let you go on one condition,** he sent in the gentlest of tones. Both Halfkin and Snowspear looked at him in shock, but he continued as if they weren't even there. **If you promise to think just one thought before you charge after those humans. One very special thought.**
Dirk's eyes were shooting skyfire at Rock by now, but he continued in his gentle tone. **Think of Boldscout for just one moment, and then I'll let you go.** The mentioning of her cub's name seemed to do the trick. Finally Dirk calmed down.
Later as they made their way back to the Holt empty handed, Snowspear lock sent to Dirk.
**I'm sorry that I hit you, my friend, but it was all I could think of.**
**I guess I deserved it,** came Dirk's short reply.
**You really scared us. For a while there you sounded almost like Lonewo-** Snowspear was interrupted by Halfkin's warning.
**Longtooth! Closing fast.**
Only a few heartbeats later the huge cat was over them. Instinctively, elves and wolves scattered and surrounded the beast. A single sniff of the longtooth's scent told the hunters that the beast had an old infected wound. That didn't seem to slow it down though. But the worst of it was that along with the stench of infection came the reek of madness. The old wound and the infection it had caused had driven this enormous predator mad. This cat was not hunting for food; it was on a rampage, set on killing every thing and everyone that was unfortunate enough to come in its way.
Four elves and four wolves circled the mad beast. It surveyed them all as they slowly circled around it. A sane longtooth would have gone for the old or the weak. But this was no sane longtooth. It leapt at Snowspear. The hunt leader crouched down and steadied her spar against the ground, preparing to strike at precisely the right time. But the raging beast was intercepted in mid air.
Roottail slammed into the longtooth hard enough to change its course. They both landed in a snarling maelstrom of teeth and claws between Snowspear and Rock.
Snowspear wanted to thrust her spear into the chaos of furred limbs that were the two fighting animals, but she feared she might hit Roottail. Rock hesitated for the same reason. Dirk didn't.
Along with her bond wolf the black-haired huntress charged. Stalker attacked low, Dirk high. Leaping onto the beast's back the huntress drove both her daggers deep into the longtooth's flesh while Stalker bit and clawed at its hind legs and Roottail went for the throat.
A giant clawed paw hit Roottail in the face. He was knocked over but was quickly back on his feet and charged the beast again. Stalker was kicked aside, but regained his balance and continued his attack. Dirk was thrown off the cat's back. Her body slammed into a tree with a sickening thud.
Snowspear dropped her spear, and with her knife raised to stab, she took Dirk's place. Rock attempted to get past the beast's deadly claws to stab it in the chest. Halfkin and Preystinger attacked from both sides, aided by Prancer.
The battle raged on and the pain-crazed predator refused to die. Snowspear was bleeding from a cut along her left side. Dirk was staggering, getting to her feet, ignoring the pain in her chest. Halfkin found himself wielding his javelin with only one hand, his left arm hanging useless at his side. Every now and then one of the wolves would yelp in pain. Rock was pinned to the ground by one of the beast's enormous paws.
Fighting to get free, Rock thrust his blade to the hilt into the longtooth's chest. Halfkin charged with his javelin held out before him like a lance with one hand. Snowspear threw herself at the beast, trying to knock it off balance.
As the longtooth sidestepped to stay upright, Roottail and Preystinger both went for its throat. Preystinger reached his target, but Roottail was effectively stopped by the huge cat's claws. Dirk lunged at the beast, aiming for her dagger, still imbedded in its back.
While Rock crawled away from the longtooth to catch his breath, Dirk frantically stabbed it in the neck, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"DIE YOU FILTHY BEAST! DIE!"
As she struggled to cling to the raging cat, she brought her hand up for one final stab, putting all her weight into it. With a cracking sound Dirk's dagger broke through the beast's skull. The longtooth finally fell, landing on top of Snowspear.
Once she had struggled free of the fallen longtooth, Snowspear quickly surveyed the scene. Rock's vest was torn to shreds and he had a series of claw marks on his chest. But he seemed to be quite all right, all things considered. Halfkin's left arm was broken, but he didn't complain. Her own side was one big wound, but it was barely more than skin deep, so it looked a lot worse than it felt. Dirk on the other hand had been thrown chest first into a tree. She didn't show it, but Snowspear guessed that she had several broken ribs.
The wolves were all licking their wounds. Most of it seemed to be minor cuts and bruises. But something was not right. That's when Snowspear caught sight of Roottail. He was lying on the ground, his chest heaving in short uneven breaths. The hunt leader approached him slowly, instinctively knowing what she'd find. She knelt beside him and stroked his fur, carefully avoiding touching his wounds.
As the others watched in silence, not knowing what to say, Snowspear weighed her bond's chances of making it back to the Holt against the pain she knew he was experiencing. In mere moments she had made her decision. It was a hard one to make, but she knew it was the right one.
Reaching for her knife, Snowspear realised that it wasn't there. A quick glance over her shoulder told her that it was still imbedded in the longtooth's carcass.
**Dirk?** she sent and held out an open hand. The younger huntress winced slightly as she approached the hunt leader and placed one of her own daggers in Snowspear's outstretched hand. Then she put her hand on her friend's shoulder, squeezing it gently.
**The three of you start back. I'll catch up.** Snowspear's sending was clear and strong, but it couldn't hide her grief. Naturally her tribe mates didn't obey her order. They did actually start walking, but only far enough to give her some privacy.
When the others had left, Snowspear tilted her head back and howled. Roottail joined her and in the distance, so did the others. **I'll miss you, old friend,** Snowspear sent as she did what she had to do. Roottail's reply - a sense of gratitude - filled her mind as the old wolf drew his last breath.
It was almost dawn when the four hunters returned to the Holt. The first one they met was an upset Surefire.
**Finally! You were gone so long I started to-** His sending trailed of when he saw the general state they were in.
'Here it comes,' Dirk thought to herself and rolled her eyes. But to her surprise Surefire didn't start scolding her for going on some reckless hunt or not being careful enough. Instead he sent to Purehaven and Wildstar telling them both to come right away.
As Purehaven worked his magic to heal them, Snowspear briefed Wildstar on what had happened, but since Surefire was listening too, she conveniently left out the part about Dirk trying to go after the humans and for this the younger huntress was grateful.