Spring was close. Very close. He could feel it in his very bones. It was growing warmer now, puppies were emerging from their dens with their tentative mothers, flowers were beginning to bloom, trees were preparing to grow their leaves again, but most importantly there was blood to be spilled. Animals coming out of hibernation were the easiest to target and the easiest to take down by one single wolf. They were still drowsy from all of the sleeping that they had been doing. It was truly a vulnerable time for them, and every predator knew it. Hunting would be at an all-time high within the next few weeks. Fights would break out between the masses and Jago would be there to rip skin from bone and assert his dominance and age over the yearlings coming to hunt by themselves for the first few times of their life. They would be cocky, but he would put them quickly in their place.

His heart was pumping rapidly now at the thought of sparring with the inexperienced and teaching them life lessons. Don’t fuck with wolves that are much older than you unless you’ve had the proper conditioning. Perhaps he would be lenient and teach them a few techniques before he tore into their flesh with a warning bite. However, Jago was not all bad. He had a rough side. A dominant side. But deep down he did want the year old males to prosper in their lifetime. He saw a bit of himself in them and he had watched himself go from top advisor to the lowest scum the earth had to offer. He was a lone wolf in this new land, desperate to have females by his side and have his genetics passed down for generations.

His mind wandered as did his paws before he came to a stop on the sandy beaches of the river in the fields. It was peaceful here...quiet. His black eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of wolf or meal, but alas he only saw a herd of elk migrating back into their normal grazing grounds. They were much too large for even the largest wolf to take down on their own. Jago thought on it for a minute, but his feet had already gave way to the urge. Before he could stop himself, his paws dug into the sand and lifted him from his spot, carrying him sailing over the tall grasses of the flatlands and en pursuit of the elk.

Jago’s tail straightened behind him, his muscles rippling under his skin as he rounded the treeline in the distance and targeted a small elk near the back of the herd. His pawsteps were light now, his breath being pushed from his lungs as he bolted and dodge tree after tree after shrub.

A larger cow elk had heard him coming and let a cry from her mouth as he was inches away from pouncing on the small elk just for the fun of it. They took off then, spooking from the large red wolf and moving as a unit. His chest heaved with exhaustion, but still he pressed on pursuing the pack and making a game out of snapping at their back legs. Jago dodged kicks from them, weaving between the herd and separating them almost in half before he pulled back and sank to his haunches. The pent up energy from the winter was gone. His muscles warm with friction and his body releasing endorphins to help with the chase. He was euphoric now, his eyes closing slowly and opening just as such. In the middle of this wood, the large canine sat. It was silent here. There were no animals for miles, though he was sure he had smelled the faint scent of another like him just minutes before. But he was not worried. Jago could take care of himself.

(ooc // perhaps we can have an 'end of winter' elk hunt or just one huge meeting. whatever everyone wants to do.)

male russet/black/white 38in 183lbs taviora imprint mate ariel