1 year old
Level 2 Ranger: +1 dice to hunt rolls
Pride Tier 1 Bonus: +1 hit roll to pride hunts
The failed hunt had lingered in Hiccup’s mind for several days. He knew not every hunt would end in a success, however it had been the first hunt he’d actively participated in, and he had hoped for a more favorable outcome — not only as a personal victory, but as an achievement for the whole pride. He’d seen the food reserve and knew it needed to be replenished …

Inspired, the yearling pulled himself from his den and slipped through the tunnel system, making his way to the mouth of the Hollow. The hiss of rain whispered through the cavern, but rather than be discouraged, Hiccup was hopeful that the hazy weather would better conceal him. It was gloomy, with reduced visibility — meaning he had the advantage that day.

He could’ve headed out alone, yet Hiccup wanted to boost the chances of a successful hunt. Sure, he might find something small, but if he invited the pride, maybe they could track and bring down bigger prey — something that would keep them fuller for longer. With that thought in mind, the yearling turned back into the entrance tunnel and chuffed out for any who wished to join him.

	+5 Use the weather to your advantage in a hunt (1/2)

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

6 years // no trade bonus // pride tier 1 bonus

Already, their new recruit was calling for the pride. Roan was pleased to see someone so young and new to the Hollows already trying to help the pride. The loss of the hippos had certainly been a sour loss, but the Hodari knew not all hunts would be successful. It was not the first time he had taken part in a failed hunt, and it would certainly not be the last. All they could do was try again and find something more suited to who was available.

Roan would echo @Hiccup's call as he made his way to the Hollow's entrance, hoping that his voice would further encourage participation. Eventually, though, the yearling would come in sight. The Hodari was surprised to see that he was the first to heed the call, but he would remind hopeful for more. "Got anything particular in mind, Hiccup?" Roan asked casually with a grin as they waited for the others.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Base

Six years, no perks

She didn't know the voice that was calling, and that alone was enough to make her go see what was going on. Luckily, she managed to catch his name as it left Roan's mouth at the tail end of his question and the ghostly woman could get an introduction that way. Seemed like they were going to go hunting, which she knew was a good idea. They might not have as many mouths to feed as some of the other prides, but spring was an excellent time to gather food. They had all made it through the winter, for which she was thankful, and now easier times should be ahead in her mind. Hopefully, anyway.

1 year, no trade bonus, pride tier 1
The yearling surely bumbled through her new pride in a clumsy fashion. She wasn't all that familiar with tunnels, caves or even mountains so this was quite the big change up. Something about it made her feel safe and comfortable, while also feeling uneasy. All of these strange smells and faces that she saw roaming and yet she couldn't bring herself to say hello. As though she were just some unoriginal girl in the wrong side of town. Yet, she knew that this was a crucial moment when a pride mate calls for backup. The assistance that was needed and expected so she gravitated to them.

Eyeing the three that were gathered and familiarizing herself with @Roan's figure there. Confidence stirring a little stronger as she moved forward, only then noticing @Hiccup that was young (like her) but it was what he was stationed next to that caused her to suck in a deep gust of air. Hey, she issues quietly as she takes a deep gulp of air, be careful, don't touch that. Juliette motioned with her nose at the thimbleweed that was just short of a foot away from him. It'll make your skin burn. Only as she warned him did she realize that he might not take well to being told what to do, which immediately prompted her to sink even lower to her stomach and taking a hesitate step back with her eyes averting. A quiet and demure sorry whispered through her lips.

+5 Warn someone about a poisonous plant

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY LARS}

3 years // no trade bonus // pride tier 1 bonus

Oh, another hunt! Great! Avana was pretty bummed over the lost hippos, but it wasn't worth getting hurt over. Secretly, she was actually a bit thankful that they got away. Hunting something so young always sat kinda funny in the pit of her stomach. The strawberry lass was much more comfortable hunting something that had lived a life already, or that might be dying soon anyway. She knew that if they just kept hunting the young and easy prey, the rest of the population might suffer. In any case, the maned girl was more than eager to take part and watch how @Hiccup did with leading a hunt of his own.

By the time Avana arrived, there was already a small group of lions awaiting instruction. All of them she knew, except for one. @Juliette was a new face to the Hollow, but apparently she was already making a name for herself when she warned Hiccup about the thimbleweed he might accidentally step on. Avana's gaze brightened at the thought of another medic being around, but before she could say anything, their new recruit was already shrinking back as if she had said something wrong. "Don't be sorry," the Hodari encouraged as she joined the group, aiming to slip on on the Valour's free side. "She's right, Hiccup. That's thimbleweed. The sap can cause skin irritations," the medic offered in affirmation of what Juliette had already said. She didn't even know the striped girl's name yet, but Avana wanted to make she knew that her knowledge was welcomed here as she returned her attention to the sky yearling. "Nice catch on the thimbleweed," the strawberry pixie offered with softer tones. "I'm Avana, by the way." A gentle smile had formed on the maned girl's face by now. She just wanted the newbie to feel comfortable in speaking up, especially if it meant helping someone else.

Table & Reference by Amanda | Lineart by Kite | Background from unsplash

She wasn't old enough to hunt with the others, but she was big enough to eat. And any age could give orders. She could talk, right? Others just had to do what she said. Anticipating ordering her belly to be filled, Toblerone snuck after the others. Although only Roan had been marked as an enemy, she still walked softly. It was habitual.

A little disturbance in the group made her perk up and trot quicker. Something was happening! A mistake had almost been made. Was there blame to throw around? She looked between the submissive pale girl and one older one who was trying to be encouraging. Nicer than Toblerone would be for sure. If someone acted like they deserved to be bullied then obviously they deserved to be bullied! Her ears slant a little, wishing she had been here sooner before everyone decided to be nice.

"Is that a thimbleweed too?" she asked innocently, at a pitch designed to draw attention toward herself. A bit of an impatient whine. "That he was just... walking through?" She hadn't been here to see where he had been walking but they didn't need to know that. It was fun enough and trivial enough to try to freak him out. Just a joke.

+5 Learn something from another about your trade

HUNT REQUEST
— RESULTS —

Rolled Prey: Medium; Rhinoceros Calf
Number of Prey Animals: 2

Hunting Party Stats: 3 Adults, 2 Yearlings, 1 Ranger Lv. 2, Pride Lv. 1; 6 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 10
Lion Hits: 4
Prey Dodges: 1 + 2 = 3

Lion Successful Hits: 1

LIONS HAVE WON!

dice were rolled in discord by @Sylvey. you can play out the remainder of the hunt however you’d like.

	+10 Successfully lead a small hunt (2/2)
	+5 Use the weather to your advantage in a hunt (2/2)

	+5 Participate in a hunt using the rolled hunt system (2/2)

The yearling cupped his ears and listened, wondering if anybody would respond. @Roan answered him, causing Hiccup’s expression to immediately brighten. He smiled as he looked back out into the mist that shrouded the land beyond their doorway. Hopefully, they could find something hiding in it.

And sure enough there was — the squeak of prey powered through the rain and reached the young Ranger. He had no idea what kind of animal made that sound (he’d never heard a young rhinoceros before) but he was eager to find out. And when Roan joined him, asking what he had in mind, Hiccup expressed as much, “Well, something’s definitely out there — I can hear it. I’ve just never heard anything like it before. Guess we’ll see what it is?”

@Faelyn followed closely on Roan’s heels. Hiccup recognized her from the meeting and smiled when she joined them — and once more when @Juliette arrived too. He was not expecting her warning though, so when she said he needed to “be careful”, the yearling quickly looked back in the direction she had motioned. “What? What— snake?!” he gasped and spun away. There was no snake, as he’d immediately feared, only some white flowers. Thimbleweed, she had cautioned, making the boy blink in confusion. The flowers … ?

The sound of a familiar voice had him looking back. @Avana appeared to confirm the other lioness’ observation. “No kidding?” the boy chuckled worriedly, and retreated another step from the thimbleweed before he focused his attention on Juliette, finally noting how she’d cowered. Smiling, he offered her, “Hey, thanks! Glad you called that out, or I would’ve learned the hard way.”

It seemed they’d gathered enough participants for a proper hunt — but there was one more who arrived, @Toblerone. She was close to his age, and he wondered if she would want to join too. Before he could extend the final invite though, she asked if he’d walked through more thimbleweed, and he took the bait. “What?!” he sucked through his teeth, head spinning around on his striped neck to look. Instinctively, he lifted his paws one by one to flick them, as if he was dealing with mud and not an irritating sap. “Geez, I hope it washes off in the rain,” the yearling muttered under his breath, completely under the impression that he had, in fact, walked through the flower patch.

“I uh, guess I’ll deal with that later,” he finally chuckled, looking mildly anxious over the flower fiasco. “Thanks for joining me, everybody. I’m not entirely sure what’s out there today, but I definitely heard something. I’m hoping we can find it and bring something back. I know it’s raining, but we can use the low visibility to our advantage. The mud might work in our favor, too, if something slips in it and goes down.” The boy may not have been a practiced hunter, but he certainly had the right idea. He only needed the experience.

Despite the murky gloom that layered the land surrounding the cavern, Hiccup’s smile was bright and beaming. “Good luck!” he encouraged them, then turned to lead the way into the rain.

The haze that shrouded the territory swallowed Hiccup and those who had joined him. In its mist, the yearling was soon soaked — which he disliked. He hated being wet. It was necessary though, so he accepted it. Really, it was a small inconvenience for the benefit the weather provided: a dark, concealing veil to sneak under.

Led by the sound of squeaking, the young Ranger soon located the source: a pair of rhinoceros calves, huddled together in the rain. Hiccup slipped down to his belly, guided by his instincts, and glanced back at his fellow hunters. Wordlessly, he angled his head at Roan and Juliette, indicating that they should focus on one of the calves, and Toblerone too, if she had followed. He would join Faelyn and Avana. He thought that between their sizes and ages, each team was equally matched.

In the end, the boy’s planning paid off: a short stalk and ambush later, the party had claimed both calves. He’d felt sorry to have taken such young lives, but it had been too good of an opportunity to let slip through their claws. Their sacrifices ensured that the lions of the Hollow wouldn’t go hungry.

As the struggle ended for his team’s calf, Hiccup released the hold he’d had on it, both with his claws and teeth, and stood to catch his breath. Mud clung to his fur, but he was smiling. “We did it!” he cheered, turning to face the party.

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

+5 Learn something from another about your trade
+5 participate in a hunt using the rolled dice system

Faelyn winced slightly at the mention of thimbleweed. Oof, that sounded... well painful to say the least. "I have frankincense at home, if that will help," she commented. "Or maybe crabwood or gnetum would be better?" She actually wasn't sure, but she was eager to talk to others about healing.

She might have gotten completely distracted if Hiccup hadn't gotten them back on track. She wasn't sure it was going to be a good idea to go hunting a pair of rhino calves, but hey here they were. Their attempt at hunting the pair of hippos hadn't gone well, but she was willing to try again. They had slightly more this time, so perhaps it would be better.

Indeed, it went far better than the last time, and she breathed a sigh of relief at that. Imagine if they hadn't... and none of them had gotten hurt, which was even better in her mind. "We did!" she exclaimed.

Roan's gaze would trail out towards the lands that sprawled before Obsidian when @Hiccup mentioned hearing something out there. Well, that sort of meant they were hunting blindly, but the mauve lion would put his faith in the ranger. The Hodari, too, could hear the squeaks of something hiding in the fog, but he couldn't place the sound right away. Hunting young rhinos wasn't exactly a common practice for him. For now, though, the king would stand in wait to see who else would join them for the hunt.

As @Faelyn joined them, Roan moved to stand at her side, muzzle aiming a gentle bump into the crook of her cheek. @Juliette was next to appear with a warning on her lips. Something about the flower that Hiccup was standing next to, but before she could even utter the words completely, the maned boy was sputtering away in fear of a snake. As much as he tried to hold back the smirk on his face, Roan could not help but laugh at the dramatic reaction. "Guess you don't like snakes," the mauve lion teased lightly before he heard his sister backing up the striped girl's caution.

Slowly, the Hodari had been growing wise to @Toblerone's antics. Being that the masked lion was the first to arrive to Hiccup's call, he had been standing here long enough to feel confident that the ranger hadn't touched any of the other flowers around him. "I think you're good, buddy," Roan would try to calm the cherry red male before things got started.

In the end, the mystery animals ended up being a pair of baby rhinos. While they hadn't had much luck with the hippos, the young rhinoceros calves proved to be a more successful hunt. Roan would follow Hiccup's instructions, declaring who should go after which calf. The split up seemed appropriate and proved effective in the end. Once his selected target was finally limp on the ground, the Hodari's jaws released from its body, tongue rasping over the warm blood on his lips. "Nice one, everyone!" They would definitely be set for food for a while. "We should probably get these inside before the parents decide to go looking for them." It was always a little bittersweet to take such young prey, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. At least the pod was not nearby this time as they had been for the hippos, but the mauve lion didn't want to wait around much longer. He'd grab whatever he could to help drag the carcass back to Obsidian once everyone was ready to go.

exit Roan

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Base