Mal was on the track of a rabbit. After all, plenty of mouths to feed in the pack. It was probably almost time to grab a wolf or two and see if they could grab one of the younger deer in the forest again anyway, but since he hadn't managed to stumble across anyone on this nice and toasty day so far, he wasn't gonna make it his goal.
But hunting kept his mind off things. Already Mal was kind of wondering when would be the best time to visit Hua -- sometime after Simmik got back, obviously. He'd find a good time to do so. Was the weather gonna change? Right now he was pretty happy that there were trees above his head keeping the sun away, but he could feel that it was pretty warm out. Avoiding the sun sounded like a good idea.
Nose down, he wasn't sure if he was
actually going to find something at the end of the scent trail. It was a few hours old, and there were plenty of places for it to have decided to hide. But then again, a good percentage of hunts ended in failure, so that wouldn't be surprising. It was just a matter of doing
enough of them that he'd win by statistics. So Mal kept going along.
Yao returned to the cool of the woods after another bout of patrolling, relishing the shade on his back after it had been scorched by the sun. He had fully intended on returning to his den and resting, had he not crossed paths with Mal on the way there, the alpha's eyes searching. A hunt? Yao chuffed and fell in beside Mal, his body language loose and friendly. On the trail?
he said, his voice low.
Maybe he should do more at night. That could be why he wasn't having the greatest luck so far today -- maybe the prey had gone and gotten smart when it came to these temperatures. But it wasn't an emergency, there were always options to continue looking, but he wouldn't know what was at the end until, well, he got there.
But he wasn't alone. He hadn't spoken much to Haoniyao since he'd joined, not that it was particularly a big deal (let's be real Mal was often wrapped up in drama and leadership things), Mal assumed nothing crazy had gone on where he was needed. But Mal really did need to make sure everyone was doing well. He needed to break out of that little bubble. He dipped his head in greeting, speaking relatively quietly as well, Yeah. Not sure how good this one will be. Kinda old.
He sniffed again, Might end up dumping right into the warren ahead.
Which could be good or bad. More targets, more hiding places.
Yao grunted, trying to keep as quiet as possible. If there was something up head, it wouldn't do to spook them off before they even arrived with idle chatter. If there was nothing, then they could talk. He focused his senses on the slightest of things, following beside Mal as they neared the warren.
Mal's steps slowed the closer they got to the warren, watching for any movement. The scent was still old, but newer ones now crossed path sometime -- older too. He looked to Haoniyao, then shifted to one side of the trail, lurking around a thicker patch of brush as he looked for a rabbit.
He crouched, pausing there as he observed the scene. A quiet moment. That was the thing with hunting. A pause, a breath, and something a handful of yards moved. Could he see it? Mal could -- a grey shadow the far side of another bush. But from where Mal had stopped, he would have to cross a great big open spot to chase after. Again he looked to Hao.
The scents crossing their path were many, old and new, of creatures big and small. Every few moments he lifted his head to look around them, his eyes straining to see any flicker of movement in the warren. He went through the motions and movements, expecting nothing and everything until, on one upward glance something moved. He couldn't see what, squinting to see the shape better through the foliage. Yao, feeling the eyes on him, finally tore his gaze away and met his alpha's, waiting to see what he would do next.
Mal ended up crouching a bit deeper in his spot. Did he dare to cross the gap? Neither of them moved for now, but they'd have to before being discovered. Couldn't stick around forever just waiting or they'd miss chances.
He looked around. Mal did a slight bob of his head, pointing towards the forest past Haoniyao's side. He could go around.. Probably. If he was careful. Better chance than Mal at least. Mal would just have to set up and hope that it came back his way if anything. He'd give it a moment and start a pantherlike stalk through the thinnest part of the brush while arcing the other direction. And ear an eye for movement just in case things went off faster than expected.