Bramblepoint and in the glade a light was seen of stars in shadow shimmering

From the mountains, Hydra observed once more the movement of a herd. They neared Bramblepoint, and thus her expedition began. After advising her parents of her trip to investigate what might become their quarry, Hydra headed toward the woodlands she had once frequented. By the time she had arrived, so had the herd. They had arrived shortly before she had, she observed, noting the imprints they had left behind where they had bedded only a night ago. Licking her chops, Hydra moved around the impacted area, sniffing to suss out telltale signs of weakness within the herd. No sickness, no blood—but that did not mean there was no weakness she might see with her eyes, or her ears.

Hydra's ears pricked, her eyes following the trail they had taken. Mutely, she moved to follow it, licking her chops.

It had been a long time since Wraen had visited her once favorite place in the valley - her secret hideout in Bramblepoint. First, because of the issues with Moonspear and them hating the founders of Sunspire the most. Secondly - the workload had been very high all through the summer that she had had hardly any time for trips that were not bound to bringing food home in any way. Now - however - with the movement of herd and six mouths to feed less, their state was improving gradually. And the upcoming move to a different area that could sustain them all was something she looked forward to very much. 

Therefore - knowing that after her pack crossed the mountain range to the other side, she would leave flatlands and wilderness behind her forever, Wraen felt that it would be nice to visit the places that had once been dear to her and say goodbye. Especially her willow tree, a lone soldier among many other different trees. She had found the exact spot with ease and was sad to find out that during the summer the old man had succumbed to the weight of age and, what had once been a perfect place for wolf to climb up and hide in a tree, were now rotten remnants of trunk and dried up leaves. Upon closer examination she realized that the wood was charred and she reasoned that perhaps the end had come via a lightening strike. 

She was about to turn and leave, when the sound of several hooves drumming against the ground, caught her attention. And soon a herd of deer emerged from the trees and began to pass the little clearing, where she was stationed. She followed their move with curious gaze and did not notice the shadowy figure that was stalking after the ungulates.

Unlike Wraen, she had not seen the mammals, only smelled them. But something caused the herd to move out, and Hydra heard their approach. She was quick to alter her own course lest she become the victim of a stampede, which was what it sounded like. There were a great many of them, and now they were in her line of sight. There was an elegance to these beasts, even in their panic—she watched the way their muscles rippled as they landed upon the earth, only to spring forward as they fled. Hydra moved opposite of them, keeping to the shadows still and observing their movement. And then she thought better of it. 

What might have caused their fright? 

Her head tipped upward as she sniffed at the wind. No scent of bear, here, nor cougar... she thought there was something familiar in the air, but it did not bring a sense of fear. The herd separated Wraen and Hydra, at present, and the Beta had yet to determine the scent belonged to a wolf she had once thought of as a friend. The herd themselves threw a great many scents around, their movements causing the earth to loosen and tear, dirt flinging now and then in the process. 

Their direction was toward the mountains, much to Hydra's pleasure. Ducking her head, she looked to their legs to seek disruption in any of their gaits. Her hunt was not here and now, but it would be good to know for the future.

Eventually Wraen came to the same conclusion as Hydra (who she had not spotted yet) had done - it would not hurt to check the animals out in the hopes that any one of them would be served on the lunch table in the next few days. She left her position by the tree snaked through the herd that had dispersed somehow and paid no mind to the lone predator (their logic being that a creature so small could not cause much damage). And the said hunter was very good at showing her disinterest in them as well. 

Just as she thought - too bad I am on my own - she saw someone and realized that she was not. A dark wolf was stalking after the deer as well and - though it took a while before the familiarity of that form and movements hit her - the realization of meeting Hydra, made Wraen stop in her tracks. The damage meeting with Charon had caused and also his daughter's false claims to Terance still occasionally haunted her mind. And now - while both of them were far away from the so called claimed hunting grounds - Moonspear wolves had proven themselves to be pretty unpredictable. 

Had it not been for the rocky relationship and very fragile peace between her and Terance, she would not let her dislike and fear to the Cerberus get in the way of doing, what she wanted. Now, however, she had to keep the others' peace of mind as a priority, therefore she retreated to the undergrowth, where she would be less visible and decided to follow the deer in paralell and a safe distance from the other female.

Hey - I just wanted to let you know, I do not mind, if this thread ends up being short and that the two of them do not meet face to face at all. Do as you wish and as it feels fit for your character.

Totally fine! Fader from me <3

 

Hydra was too attentive toward her task to observe Wraen fully to the point of identifying her. When she felt as though eyes were upon her, though, her head turned in the direction Wraen had once stood. As they were leaving, they did not capture her attention and warrant a second thought, and her normal attention to detail was reserved solely for the herd. 

The Beta continued to watch them and move with them, licking her chops. After much time had passed, she thought she detected some members in the herd who might be considered their weak links. They had paused in their journey, to graze and to rest, after a while; it was at that point that Hydra turned to head back to Moonspear to report her findings.