Tail high and ears perked, Jhala made her way along the border, her muscles relaxed. She was on the trail of a deer- perhaps two. One was definitely a female, the other she assumed was it's child. She prowled along, following the scent of the two beasts with a hungry stare. The girl had brought down deer before, but she hadn't had one in quite some time. During the winter season she'd found mostly small prey, which was not as tasteful as a meaty doe. The sweet scent lulling her forward, she moved on, forgetting that she would probably need a partner to help take down such a large prey.

The girl moved forwards still, the warm scent of a young doe heavy in her nostrils. She was focused on the task at hand, ignoring everything else around her until the scent of their Alpha Female had come into the mix. She paused, immediately, and waited to see if the woman would show herself. She was aware of the trouble that she had been in with Taggarik- even thought it was merely poor judgement. She thought quickly of him sharing his issues with her to his co-alpha, and her confidence withered. Being so young, Jhala right away assumed that Capri was seeking her out to punish, and therefore gave a loud bark to call for the Alphess. It simply alerted the other of her position, and her desire to see the other, even if Capriccio did not care for either. 

The yearling waited, her tail wagging slowly as her head lowered. She held tightly to the scent of the deer; and now that she thought about it, she began to hope that her queen would join her in her hunt.

She would've spoken words though the half-parted jaws on her face, but Capriccio spoke first. Perhaps that was better, and Jhala really wasn't sure what to say. Her body language, at least, shared what she wanted to say. Her head was lowered and her ears down, tail wagging slowly behind her. Jhala did not understand the word 'heat', it made no sense to her that the alpha would be upset about that. She did however understand what it meant that Taggarik had chosen her, and the girl gave a gentle whine right away. 

A distraction. The other nodded, understanding. Anwyl had disappeared from the pack, leaving Jhala to feel the same way. Perhaps it bothered her less than it should've- or maybe more. She wasn't even sure if Capri and Tagg knew that she had begun to get close to Anwyl, or if they even cared. Regardless, she gave a slight smile to her superior and raised her head slightly.

"I'm trackin' deer," she told her simply, nodding towards where she was headed. "It should be two, they're not too far off now." The thought of a hunting partner made her spirits rise a little bit. "It's distracting me," she added finally, cocking her head to one side.

"Sure," came the simple response.

The girl moved quickly as she followed the scent, her tail low and steady while her ears remained perked. The scent was nearing, and she was almost positive by now that it was a doe and it's fawn. Soon enough, the pair was in view- just past a group of pine trees and large boulders. Jhala grinned eagerly, but nosed Capriccio in request to take the lead. "Better distraction," she whispered, so quietly the dumb creatures across the ways hadn't heard a thing. As much as she'd love to take the lead here, she knew Capriccio probably needed it more than she did. She waited patiently to see if Capri would in fact take the lead, or force her to do it herself.

And flee faster it did. The mother knew that it's sole purpose was to protect it's child, but without its mother the babe would not survive. If she sacrificed herself for her child she would have wasted her life as her child would die soon. It was smarter to leave the child to death, as she could procreate once more to restart the cycle. There was no reason to waste her own blood.

Jhala had listened to her alpha, rounding to the other side. She'd let Capri initiate the attack, but as soon as she would so much as twitch the young beta would follow right behind, ready to feel the warm flesh melt into her white canines. 

Capri had leapt, snapping at the deer. Jhala had been right in position, following close behind her alpha's footprints and eagerly awaiting her turn at the hunt. The babe let out a noise, one the dark beta had always loved, before it stomped it's feet and turned towards her to flee. The yearling was prepared, the fawn leaping right into her sharp canines. She snapped at the throat of the creature, and it screeched again in terror, followed by a loud gurgling noise. Jhala held tight, but still expected to feel Capriccio join in on finalizing their attack. 

Jhala helped bring it down, a surge of pride running through her as she did so. The creature eventually fell limp, and the dark beta sat panting before her queen. She dipped her head. "Of course," she replied through heavy breathes. "You're welcome to it, I don' mind leavin'," she then said, standing as if she were to go. If Capri wanted her, she would stay and converse with her alpha or simply keep her company. If not, she'd go, she didn't want to cause any more problems. Hopefully, Capriccio would have seen her in a better light after today, but even so, it was the last time she'd be inside the Porcupine borders.